Everything Will Be Okay
by quantumchickpea
Summary: Marinette never thought that she would find herself in a facility where they call them guests and offer help to those that need it. She definitely didn't expect to find her soulmate there among the darkness. She doesn't speak, but Adrien hopes to change that about her. Mental Hospital AU. Trigger warning.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:****I was very nervous about publishing this. I wanted to go back to my roots of writing when I strived to write poetry and stories based on people finding acceptance within someone else. Marinette's character is very honest and real to me and who I was as a teenager. I was scared of what you guys would think about it. I ran this story by four friends of mine and finally I've decided to post it. My anxiety is through the roof because I'm afraid of people reading this and saying something negative about it. Or that I didn't live up to everyone's potential, but here I am. I haven't been updating stories because I've been working a lot and struggling with my once a month severe depression. So, I heard the song at the end of this and began to write like I used to. I went back to what I loved to write. I hope it's okay and that you guys enjoy it. I love this story, but I know not everyone will. :)**

Adrien screamed out in his room as the last of his resolve faded. He had had enough of his father's constant control. Of his father's constant manipulative words. He wanted control of his own life and he couldn't handle it anymore. He felt unattractive and overweight. Everytime he looked in the mirror he would poke at his stomach or pull at his arms. He would knit pick every little imperfection on his skin and it would take over his thoughts. He just wanted to be perfect. Perfect enough that his father would be happy with him. That his father would be proud of him. Adrien screamed again as he picked up a trophy and hurled it across the room. The fact that it fell to the floor and didn't break in two irritated him and he gripped his hair, pulling out a few strands.

Nathalie was beside herself as she clutched her tablet to her chest with widened eyes. She watched him scream and run around his room, punching a few holes into his walls.

"SUCH A DICK! USELESS FATHER! CAN'T EVEN TALK TO HIS OWN SON WITHOUT MAKING AN APPOINTMENT! CAN'T EVEN! AHHHHHHHH!" Adrien yelled as he pulled his hair. He ran over with bloody knuckles and grabbed a pair of scissors that were in a pencil holder next to one of his monitors.

"Adrien!" Nathalie finally spoke out and went to grab them from him, but it was too late.

Adrien slammed his forearm down in a blind furry and flicked the scissors open, gliding it along the underside of his forearm in quick swift movements. Red lines bubbles up in a criss-crossed pattern along his soft skin and Nathalie grabbed the scissors from his fist.

"This needs to stop!" Nathalie yelled at him and he chuckled up at her with tear filled eyes that were sunken in.

"FUCK YOU, NATHALIE! YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS HIM!" Adrien spit the words at her like venom and stood up to shut himself in his bathroom.

Nathalie panicked as she looked down at the blood stained scissors and realized just how skinny Adrien had gotten recently. How his eyes were lined with dark purple circles. She heard the sounds of pills rattling, throwing up, and soft chuckling coming from the bathroom. She didn't know what to do. This wasn't in her job description. She didn't sign up for this.

"Sir, I don't know what to do." Nathalie spoke in a rushed voice and heard him yell at her to just fix it.

She cursed as she heard Adrien go silent. "Crap. Okay. You can do this. Just call…" Nathalie searched for a help line.

000

Adrien flung open his medicine cabinet and yanked out a bottle of painkillers. He downed the whole bottle and panicked, running to the toilet to force himself to vomit. The room began to blur and spin, causing his eyes to roll back and his lashes to flutter.

He sank and hit his head on the toilet. He lazily reached up to touch the wound, bringing his hand in front of his face. He softly chuckled as he saw his fingers drenched in a bright crimson red. "Finally…"

000

"You're going to love it here, Marinette." A nurse walked a girl with dark hair through the halls of Miraculous Healing. It was the best mental hospital that money could buy. "We have many activities to keep you busy and to help you get better."

The girl was shy and she held her arm with one hand as she peered through the veil of her hair. She worried her lips and didn't say anything.

"Shy type, huh? That's okay." The nurse smiled at her as she lead her to the common room. "This is where all of the guests like to hang out together."

Marinette looked around and watched as all of the other people were busy playing games and watching a television together. She worried her bottom lip as she caught sight of a patient on the small porch, that was located at the back of the common area.

The nurse doubled back when she realized that the girl wasn't following her. "That's the smoking porch." The nurse gave a worried expression as she noticed how the girl slightly turned her head with parted lips.

The patient on the porch kept his back to her and as the nurse pulled her away… she watched him slowly turn his head to the side and up to blow out smoke. His blonde hair fell out of his eyes and she caught a hint of forest green behind the dark shadows. "C'mon, there is plenty more to see here." The nurse coaxed her along and she reluctantly followed.

Marinette followed her along the long hallway of doors with small, clear, box shaped windows. "These are the rooms. Yours is right down the hall and your roommate should be there." The nurse smiled as she opened the door.

Music blasted from a pair of orange speakers and Marinette peered up to see a girl with tan skin and reddish brown, wavy, hair. "Alya, turn that music down. Please. We've asked you before."

"Sorry, Ms. Bustier." Alya turned the knob on her stereo down and sat on her bed, continuing to edit a vlog.

"It's okay, Alya." The nurse smiled at her and pushed Marinette in front of her. "This is your new roommate, Marinette. I was hoping that you could introduce her to everyone. Except the one we talked about." She gave her a stern expression and Alya rolled her eyes.

"I'm aware…" Alya shut down her editing software and stood up. "Hi, I'm Alya, but you can call me Als if you want."

Marinette didn't say anything. She shook Alya's hand and the other girl made a short a laugh.

"Don't talk much." Alya nodded with a smirk. "That's okay. One day you will talk to me."

Marinette didn't give her any kind of expression. She was a blank canvas and something about it bugged Alya. She was suddenly interested in why this girl was even there.

"Alright, let's go meet the others." Alya took her hand and Nurse Bustier left them alone. "There are some real… interesting people here, M. Can I call you M?" She raised an eyebrow at Marinette, watching her shrug with a nod. "I'll take that as a yes."

Alya walked beside her into the common area. Marinette finally took every little detail in. How there was a slew of tables and chairs on one side of the room. The wall beside them was filled with board games and books. The other side had a couple red couches in front of a flat screen T.V that had an entertainment center filled with DVDs. Patients huddled on the couch as they watched some action film.

They were all smiling and joking with one another. Something about it weirded Marinette out. She always imagined that everyone would be unhappy and zombied out on psychiatric drugs. She then caught sight of the small white porch again, but the boy that was there before was gone. Another one stood there with tan skin and Alya immediately pulled her out there. "C'mon, let's go see Nino." She giggled and dragged Marinette out of the back doors.

Marinette tripped and caught herself on the white painted, wooden, banister. She peered at it to see a half finished cigarette that had been stubbed out a few times. Her mind got lost in the memory of it between the index finger and thumb of the boy that was there earlier.

"M, this is Nino. Nino this is M or Marinette." Alya smiled as she clung to Nino's upper arm.

"Hey, M." Nino held his hand out and Marinette nervously shook it.

"She doesn't talk much." Alya piped up and reached up to kiss Nino.

"I see. Well, I'd rather my best frien…." Nino was cut off by Alya elbowing him in the side. "Ow."

"He doesn't know who he's talking about." Alya nervously smiled. "Want to help me introduce her to some more people?"

"Sure." Nino put out his cigarette and flicked it off the porch, hitting a bush. "TWO POINTS!" He raised his fist over his head and Alya rolled her eyes.

Marinette stared down at her pink ballet flats as Alya took her hand again. "Let's go. C'mon."

She was once again dragged off to the common area. Marinette swallowed hard as she was suddenly flung in front of strangers. A girl with a pixie cut and pink dress sat on the couch beside a girl with purple dipped black hair. She rested her head on the other girls shoulder as they watched the movie. A heavy set boy sat beside a heavy set girl and they too were cuddling. It seemed like they were all paired up.

"That's Rose and Juleka…." Alya pointed to the two girls that were sitting beside one another. "And those two are Mylene and Ivan…" Alya kept naming everyone in the room and by the end of it Marinette was mentally exhausted. "EVERYONE THIS IS MARINETTE!"

The only person that Marinette didn't see was the boy from earlier. She began to space out and wonder where he was. Why wasn't he there in the common area too?

"Hey, welcome newby." A tall boy named, Kim, spoke with a smile as he put an arm around Marinette.

She gave him a weirded out expression and he took his arm away from her.

"She's got her eyes on someone else." Alya shoved Kim in the arm and he backed off with his arms up.

Marinette flashed a glance over at Alya and she shrugged. Marinette blushed as they were interrupted by Nurse Bustier again.

"Alright, Marinette. You have your first therapy session. So, if you'll just follow me." The nurse smiled at Marinette and took her arm.

Marinette peered back over her shoulder to see all of the others wave at her. She turned her gaze back in front of her. They walked down the halls and she heard screaming from a room. It was urgent sounding and filled with rage. She worried her bottom lip as her heart rate picked up.

It got louder, the further down the hall they went. Marinette swallowed hard as she flinched when she heard something hit a door.

Two men in white rushed past them and flung a door open. Marinette followed them with her eyes.

"C'mon, now. You're going to be late to your first therapy session." Nurse Bustier lead her away.

The last thing she saw were a pair of feet kicking the end of a bed as two men blocked everything else from view. She heard the screams become silent and her heart rate jumped up her throat.

"Here we are." She smiled and knocked on the door. "I have your ten O'clock, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with me."

"Let her in." A soft voice came from the office and Marinette stepped inside.

"Hello, Marinette. My name is Dr. Fu." A small asian man stood behind a massive oak desk. "Sit, please."

Marinette peered behind her to see that the nurse was gone.

"Don't worry. She'll be back when we're finished." Dr. Fu smiled at her and gestured to the emerald hued couch in the room.

Marinette kept looking at the shut door, hoping to hear the screaming again. What had happened?

"I see that you were sent here because of something that happened at school. A break down of sorts? Let's see…" Dr. Fu opened her chart and flipped through it as he let her stand. "Seems like something happened at school with some classmates and a teacher that made you stop talking. You're parents are very worried about you, Miss. Dupain-Cheng." He set her chart down and watched her with an interested expression. "He'll be okay."

Marinette flashed him a glance as she finally broke her gaze with the door.

"We know you caught sight of him. Please sit." Dr. Fu gestured to the couch again. "I want to talk about you. Not him. He's not my guest right now."

Marinette finally sat down on the couch with her hands in her lap. She knotted her fingers together as she worried her bottom lip.

"Now. I think we need to work on getting you to talk. So, how about we start with some drawing." Dr. Fu passed her some paper and a marker.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him as she took the art supplies from him.

"Alright. I want you to draw how you perceive yourself. Can you do that for me?" Dr. Fu smiled at her and she swallowed hard as she nodded. "Good."

Marinette pulled the cap off of the marker and began to draw herself. Dr. Fu watched her draw a wide body with spots all over it. He watched her accentuate her hips and shoulders. Watched her draw a face with giant eyes and a small mouth. Watched her place a line of black over her mouth. She drew her hair in a weird messy fashion and surrounded the whole drawing in mean negative words that seemed to be echoing around her, in red. She hid in her hair and closed the marker with a pop.

Marinette passed him the drawing and hid inside herself. "Well, it's a start. I want to make this our thing. Every week… I'll hand you a clean sheet of white paper and I want you to draw how you perceive yourself. Now, let's give you an anxiety test and move on to a depression test. Maybe a few others too. Just to see how we can make you better." Dr. Fu smiled and grabbed more papers from his desk.

He set a piece of paper with phrases onto his clipboard and picked up a pen. "Now, this is a rating system. 0 being that you don't agree with feeling the way presented at all… and 10 being that you strongly agree that you feel that way."

Master Fu passed her the clipboard and Marinette swallowed hard as she took the pen from him. She began to read each question, finding some of them hard to answer. She didn't know how she felt some of the time, or rather, most of the time. It took her awhile to get to the end. She passed him back the clipboard as she realized that she had a lot more numbers closer to ten than zero.

"Alright, so it seems like you have extreme anxiety." Dr. Fu took note of it in her chart. "We'll continue to work on that. For now, I'd like for you to keep a journal to write down when you feel upset or anxious or really anything and say why. I also want you to write three positive attributes about yourself and stick it in your room where you will see it everyday. I want you to wake up and read it."

Marinette nodded as he passed her a tablet. "I think we've done enough for today. Why don't you go have lunch and then rest?"

Marinette nodded as Nurse Bustier came in to take her to the cafeteria.

Alya called her over with a smile and Marinette got in line beside her for food. "So… how was it?" Alya grabbed a tray and passed her one.

Marinette shrugged and Alya nodded. "I remember my first time there. I was surprised to see an old man was the main psychologist."

Marinette nodded as she grabbed the meal that was passed to her. Alya grabbed a cup of vanilla ice cream and set it on Marinette's tray. "It's the best thing here." She winked at her and Marinette's lips parted.

Marinette turned her head to peer at the doors and Alya dropped a cup to bring her attention back to her. She turned around to help her roommate clean up the mess. Marinette peered over her shoulder at the doorway again.

Alya sighed and gave in. "If I tell you about him will you stop seeking him out?"

Marinette widened her eyes at Alya. "Look, we can't talk loud. I'm not even supposed to tell you about him. I've been sworn to keep my mouth shut."

Alya lead her over to a table in the corner. She set her tray down and sat on the long bench, gesturing for her to do the same.

Marinette picked up her spork and began to spread strawberry jelly on her bread. She got lost in the red of the jelly as she shivered from the sounds of his screams, the ones she had heard earlier.

"I don't know much, okay? He's been here a few months. He only comes to the common area to smoke and talk to Nino. He talks more than anyone else here, but then he has these moments… where- I really shouldn't say. I don't even know how to explain it. It's like he loses himself and blacks out? Maybe? I really don't know what starts it, but he goes into this rage that is hard to control. They rush him off and… well… it's not fun here when that happens. When you have a moment of losing control? They don't like it here. I can't say more. I don't know more. Just know that no one is really allowed to talk to him. Except Nino."

Marinette swallowed a piece of her bread and nodded as she let Alya's words sink in. Whoever this boy was, he sounded dangerous. But a big part of her thought that it was all just tales.

They quickly finished eating and Marinette wandered off to explore the hallways near her room. She crossed her arms as she heard music and conversations spilling from the various rooms. She somehow found herself in front of the screaming patient's room again. Marinette swallowed hard and peered inside the square window.

Her heart leapt against her ribcage as she took his depressed form in. He was lying on a bed with his white shirt slightly drawn up along one of his hip bones. His jeans sat low on his hips and his blonde hair was spread out along his white pillow. His gaze was distant as he peered at a window that let sunlight into his room. She noticed how his hands were above his head and held there by medical grade restraints and her gaze ran down till she noticed that his ankles were too. She covered her mouth and turned away from the door as tears filled her eyes. She no longer wanted to be there. She no longer wanted the help that this place claimed to give.

She suddenly wanted to know everything about him. Marinette swallowed hard and grabbed the handle with a shaking hand, finding it unlocked.

The boy in the bed turned to peer at the door as it opened with a loud click. He scrambled and pulled against his restraints at first until he realised it wasn't a nurse or an attendant.

"Hey." The boy smirked at her and she didn't speak.

Marinette closed the door behind her and was about to leave when he stopped her.

"Don't go. Please." The boy struggled against his binds to signal at her.

Marinette stopped and faced him again. He smiled up at her from the bed and her heart beat faster.

"I always end up this way… I don't know why I do this to myself." The boy sighed and peered at the window. "I'm no less locked up here than in my own home."

Marinette pulled a chair up and sat down to listen to him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Adrien. And you are…" He searched her sapphire eyes, finding nothing.

She looked around her and found his tablet that he must have been given too. Marinette grabbed it off of his desk and looked at him, as if to ask for permission.

Adrien sighed and nodded at her. "You can use it."

Marinette nodded and pushed the button to turn it on. She opened a drawing app and began to scribble her name with her tongue poking out of her mouth.

He chuckled at her as she concentrated on what she was writing. Marinette held up the tablet and he read it out loud. "Mar...i...nette. Marinette?" He smiled at her and she nodded. "Nice to meet you Marinette. Sorry, that you have to see me like this."

Marinette shook her head and hid in her hair as she took the tablet away and began to scribble words down. She turned it back towards him and he scrunched his brows as he read it out loud. "Why were you screaming earlier?" His eyes went wide as he realized what she had asked.

She scribbled the words sorry as fast as possible and flashed the screen at him again.

"No, don't be sorry." Adrien sighed with a yawn. "It's okay. My father came to visit today. It never goes well. I got mad after he left and when I get mad, sometimes I lose control. I black out in a rage. I can't control it. It's like my thoughts spiral into this dark black hole. I don't know how to explain it. It's usually triggered by his visits. I'm not sure why they haven't figured that shit out yet."

Marinette nodded and scribbled down a few words again.

"Why does your father make you angry?" Adrien read it slowly and smirked. "He's an ass. He barely has time for me and when he does… it's to make an example of me to the company. Not because he wants to actually spend time with me. He won't even celebrate my birthday… or Christmas. He tends to knit pick over my looks and defines me as perfect."

Marinette was shocked by his words, but didn't show it on her face. She sat there and held the tablet in her lap.

"So, why are you here?" Adrien searched her eyes as she peered out from under her bangs. "There has to be a reason that you stopped talking, right?"

Marinette swallowed hard and began to write on the screen with her fingers. She wasn't sure why she trusted this boy enough to tell him her secrets, but something about him made her want to spill them all. It took her ages and before long she heard the door click.

"Under the bed." Adrien whispered and she nodded as she quickly scurried beneath it.

"Are you ready for your medication?" Nurse Bustier smiled at him as she approached his bed.

"Thank you." Adrien smiled as she began to undo the restraints. He rubbed his wrists with his hands as she passed him a cup of water and one that held pills.

Adrien knocked them both back; before, he passed the plastic cups back at her.

"You can return to the common area, if you like." Nurse Bustier smiled as she left the room again.

"You can come out, now." Adrien peered under his bed and she crawled out from under it. He helped her up and she got lost in his eyes and bright smile. "My pills make me tired and slightly out of it. So, if I start to look like a zombie… you know why." He held his hands out in front of him and she giggled behind her hand. "Hey, I got you to laugh. That's something."

Marinette pressed her lips together, as she lost her smile, and passed him his tablet.

"Well, at least I got something out of you. Even if it was for a fraction of a second." Adrien shrugged and began to read what she had wrote. "My classmates made fun of me every time I talked about something I liked… or if I asked stupid questions my teacher would tell me I was dumb. They also bullied me because I got a bad grade in math and said, 'I thought asians were supposed to be good at math!'." Adrien broke from reading to shake his head with an annoyed expression. "That's fucked up. Just because you're of asian descent does not mean that you are good at math or really adhere to any of those stupid stereotypes society has made up." Adrien scoffed and went back to reading what she had written, while Marinette watched him with a shocked expression. "So, I chose to just stop talking because it was easier. My parents got worried and so they sent me here." Adrien softly laughed as he peered at her and she became embarrassed. "Everyone gets made fun of. I'm sure you're not into anything weirder than they are. They were just putting their own insecurities on you because you're so sweet."

Marinette blushed at his words as he yawned. Adrien shook his head and rubbed his eyes, causing Marinette to catch the thick bands of scars down his forearms. He sighed and let his hands fall into his lap. "If I don't go out there, they'll wonder what I'm doing. Are you gonna go too?"

Marinette scribbled down more words and passed him it as she chewed on the tip of her index finger.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you, apparently." Adrien raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a weirded out expression. "Why not?"

She sighed and wrote something down again. Adrien read it as she turned it around. "You're a distraction."

Adrien burst out laughing and groaned. "Ah… shit. They always say that about me. That's why I'm only allowed to have Nino as a friend. They say I'm a bad influence, but that Nino is good for me. Something about making me a better person." He rolled his eyes and tugged on his messy bangs. "No one is really allowed to talk to me. Nino's pretty great though. He makes this shit hole seem less of one."

Marinette worried her bottom lip and nodded as she wrote that she should go too.

"It was nice meeting you, Marinette." Adrien smirked at her and took her hand to press his lips against her knuckles.

Marinette's cheeks grew hot as she stood up to leave his room. She placed his tablet back on his desk and took one last look around. She cracked the door and snuck out, pretending like she had been wandering the halls that whole time.

She heard the door open and watched Adrien walk to the front desk for a match and a cigarette. He placed the cigarette between his lips and nodded at the front desk nurse. Adrien made his way to the common area and walked straight out to the smoking porch.

Marinette swallowed hard as Alya caught up to her. "So, where were you?"

Marinette shrugged and Alya nodded as she watched her new friend stare at the porch area.

Marinette watched how Adrien leaned on the banister, striking the match along the wooden surface to light it. How he cupped the end of his cigarette with his hand and lit it. She pressed her lips together as she watched him blow out smoke and peer at her through the few bangs that had fallen into his eyes. How he smirked just for her and winked.

Marinette gasped and brought her hands to her lips. Alya followed her gaze to Adrien, smoking and joking with Nino.

"You're really… that interested?" Alya stared at Adrien and then at her.

Marinette got lost in his eyes as he continued to talk to Nino.

"You do know what they say about him, right?" Alya grabbed her arm and turned her. "That he's a bad influence. I've been told to keep you from him. You weren't wandering the halls were you?"

Marinette swallowed hard as the other girl judged her. She shoved Alya off and walked away from her. "Where are you going?" Alya called after her and she shook her head.

Adrien stopped talking to glance over and see that Marinette was gone. "Where'd Marinette go?"

"Mari… oh no." Nino panicked as he realized that she had talked to him. "Dude. You talked to her? Alya is gonna kill me… Ms. Bustier and Dr. Fu are going to murder me!" Nino grabbed his head and began to panic as his anxiety flared. He began to hyperventilate.

Adrien stubbed out his cigarette and walked into the common area. He pushed the doors open and walked down the hallway seeing a door close.

Adrien pressed his ear to each door as he heard sobbing.

"You're not… gonna find her…" A familiar voice appeared in his head as a black shadow with massive white fangs and sharp teeth followed him. He cleared his throat and tried to not focus on the shapeless creature.

"Yes. I will." Adrien clenched his fists at his sides as he ground his teeth.

"C'mon kid… you're not allowed to have friends or girlfriends… hospital rules…" The dark voice sneered as a deep purr emanated from it.

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien hissed under his breath as he continued to listen through the doors.

The sobs grew louder and soon he could make out sniffs too. "Found you."

Adrien pushed open the door and right as he was about to get to her, a pair of hands pulled him back. "You aren't to talk to her. You know that." Nurse Bustier pulled him away and stepped inside.

Adrien banged on the door and yelled, "HEY! DON'T TOUCH HER!".

Marinette glanced past the nurse with tears streaming down her cheeks as he watched her slowly go limp with her eyes shut.

"FUCK!" Adrien yelled out and punched a wall. He ran over and picked up a metal chair to throw it down the hallway as he growled through his clenched teeth. He was soon grabbed by two attendants. Adrien kicked and screamed as they tried to drag him to his room.

000

Adrien spent days in his room, getting worse and worse by the moment and Marinette wasn't much better. She made no progress in therapy and he began to have more outbursts than before.

Nurse Bustier knocked on Dr. Fu's office and walked in when he asked her to. "What did you need to talk about?" Dr. Fu smiled up at her as he took a sip of his green tea.

"I wanted to talk about Marinette and Adrien. Maybe…" Bustier swallowed hard as she thought for a moment. "I mean we've tried to keep him away from the patients. But maybe…"

"Maybe they are a benefit to one another, if we only gave them a chance to talk?" Dr. Fu set his cup down. "I was just thinking about that."

"Nino was helping, but now I think having them apart is pulling them back. She can't fo-" Nurse Bustier was interrupted by Fu.

"She can't focus on her therapy because she is always looking for him. Yes. She's barely been here and I can see that." Dr. Fu grabbed Adrien's chart and opened it alongside Marinette's. "Bring them to me."

Nurse Bustier nodded and left his office. She grabbed Adrien first, unlocking him from his restraints. He went to fight her, but two attendants grabbed him first from either side. "Calm down, Adrien. We're here to help you. Not hurt you."

"What did you do to her?" Adrien glared through his bangs and she shook her head.

"She's okay. Dr. Fu wishes to talk to you." The nurse walked out of his room and he fought against the two men. They grunted as they dragged him to Dr. Fu's office.

"This seriously better work." One of the attendants grunted as they slammed him into a chair. Dr. Fu locked him to the chair with more restraints.

"SERIOUSLY? WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS?" Adrien cursed at Dr. Fu as he struggled against the restraints.

"Just calm down. Deep breath in…." Dr. Fu sighed as Bustier left to bring Marinette into the office.

Adrien growled and kicked the floor in anger.

000

"Why do you even care about that boy?" A voice spoke in Marinette's mind and she zoned out on her sketch that she was drawing on her tablet. "Why is he so important to you?" A tall, red, shadow swirled around her and peered over at her drawing of Adrien looking out the window with a saddened expression. The shadow raised an eyebrow at the drawing.

_He's amazing, Tikki. That is why. _Marinette thought in her head and Tikki sighed.

"You think everyone that is nice to you is amazing." Tikki rolled her eyes and stood off to the side as the door opened.

"Dr. Fu wants to see you." Nurse Bustier held out her hand and Marinette stood up.

She walked beside her and didn't say a word as she lead her to his office. Marinette stopped outside Adrien's bedroom door and Nurse Bustier coaxed her to move. "C'mon… he's not there."

Marinette began to panic and grip her hair. She fell into a crouch and pulled her hair harder as she cried. It was like she had been told that he had been let go. That he had died. That she would never see him again. It didn't matter to her that they had only talked once. It didn't matter to her that they barely knew each other. Something about him drew her to him. Something about him made her want to live. Made her want to be there. Her heart rate sped up as she breathed harder and faster with each breath. Her wrists tingled and she craved the feel of a knife on her skin, ripping through it, causing it to sting and burn. She wanted the satisfaction of seeing blood pour from her veins to know that she was alive, to know that she could feel. To feel punished and like she was wrong for feeling this way.

"Marinette? I need you to calm down. He's okay. I promise. He didn't go anywhere. He's waiting for you, but you won't get there unless you get up, honey." Nurse Bustier was thrown off by how she quickly went into a panic. "It's okay… Let's just continue on to Dr. Fu. It's alright. C'mon love." She touched Marinette's shoulder and she fell back onto her behind, bringing her knees to her chest. Marinette began to rock back and forth and sob as she got lost in her looping thoughts.

Tikki swirled around her and mocked her with her words. "He's gone. You're never going to see him again… You're never going to talk to him again. It's your fault. It's all your fault. Everything is your fault." Tikki sneered and Marinette screamed out and kicked the floor in anger.

Marinette completely ignored and disregarded anything that Bustier had said.

Nurse Bustier touched the radio in her pocket and spoke into it. "Change of plan. I'm not gonna be able to get her there. She's in a meltdown because she saw his room was empty."

"Tell her the truth. Tell her who is in my office." Adrien flashed Dr. Fu an expression as he heard him speak.

"You two barely know each other, yet this is how you act. Fascinating…" Dr. Fu rubbed his beard as he thought about the two of them.

Adrien glared at him and pulled at his binds again. "You can't do this!"

"Do you even know what we're doing?" Dr. Fu spoke and raised a eyebrow at him. "You wouldn't be fighting me, if you knew."

Adrien sighed and continued to try to escape.

000

"Marinette. Sweetheart... " Bustier got down on her level and took a deep breath. "Right now, Adrien is sitting in Dr. Fu's office waiting for you. Would you like to see him?"

Marinette calmed down a little and stopped rocking to peer up at her with a nod and swollen red eyes.

"You'd like to see him, right? Again?" Nurse Bustier smiled at her and Marinette shook her head as she didn't believe her.

Nurse Bustier sighed as she pushed the button on the radio again. "She doesn't believe me. Can you get Adrien to talk for me?"

"Marinette?" Adrien spoke in a struggled voice and Marinette stopped rocking back and forth. "I'm sitting in Dr. Fu's office. I don't know why the hell I'm here, but I am."

Marinette sniffed as she heard his voice. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on it.

"Can you do me a favor and take calming breaths for me? Let one in slow… and then hold it for ten seconds and then release. Can you do that for me?" Adrien rolled his eyes as he relayed what he was told to do. He never used it though.

Marinette slowly took a deep breath in and counted to ten. _One, Adrien isn't gone. Two, he is waiting for me. Three, his voice sounds so soft. Four, I wonder what it feels like to kiss him. Five, I want to see him smile. Six, I want to go to the movies with him. Seven, I want to hold his hand. Eight, I want to feel his fingers interlocked with mine. Nine, I want to feel his fingertips along my skin. Ten, I want to cuddle on the couch with him like all the others here. _Marinette opened her eyes and felt herself calm down.

"You okay, Marinette?" Adrien's voice came out concerned and she nodded.

"She's good. Thank you, Adrien." She stopped holding the button and peered down at Marinette. "Ready to head there?"

Marinette swallowed hard and nodded as she hid in her hair.

"Okay, then let's get up off this floor and head there, yes?" Bustier smiled at her and she weakly nodded. "Alright, let's go then." She took Marinette's hand and helped her stand. "Here we go." She took her to the office and opened the doors for her.

Adrien peered over his shoulder to see Marinette. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at him.

"You okay?" Adrien peered at Marinette with a worried expression as he caught his breath.

She nodded and wiped her eyes as she was lead by the nurse to sit down on the couch. "Okay. Are we ready to talk now?" Nurse Bustier smiled at each of them.

"Yeah." Adrien swallowed hard as Dr. Fu undid the cuffs. Adrien rubbed his wrists and got up to sit beside Marinette. He lightly touched his knee against hers and she blushed.

"Alright. Adrien, I'm going to start with you." Dr. Fu flipped through his chart and spoke with a serious tone. "Do you mind if I disclose the reason that you are here and a few other things?"

Adrien peered over at Marinette and worried his fingers in his lap. "It- go ahead."

"Marinette. Do you mind if I disclose why you are here and a few other things? Even if it's just based on a few meetings? I have much to learn about you still." Dr. Fu sighed as he rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"Okay. Going back to Adrien. You came here after a long stay in a hospital due to overdosing on painkillers, self-injuries, and a concussion. You had gotten angry over your father controlling your life and his assistant witnessed you punching holes in your bedroom walls and throwing various items around your room. You slammed your bathroom door shut…" Adrien cringed as Dr. Fu read his chart and witness statement. He hid in his hair and peered over at Marinette, who seemed unphased. "And continued to scream and then you went silent. It was then that she called for help."

Adrien slumped further into the couch and tried to disappear. Plagg slithered around Adrien and wrapped itself around his throat.

Marinette slid her hand slowly to his and touched his pinky with her own. He looked over at her with a horrified expression and she slightly smiled through a veil of hair.

His worried expression changed to a weak smile as his heart slowed down and the shadows dissolved.

"We thought that it was best for you to be by yourself because you tend to have breakdowns at random times. Mostly after you see your father. Which yes, we acknowledge that is a trigger of yours." Dr. Fu answered before Adrien could open his mouth to speak. "But you need to have at least small moments with him."

Adrien rolled his eyes and Marinette slipped more of her hand on his and squeezed.

"Now, Marinette. You came to us after you were in school for half a year. You were being bullied at school for everything that came out of your mouth and were being called stupid. You turned to being mute. My assumption is that it's because you didn't want to be made fun of anymore and felt like your words meant nothing. That no matter what you said… it wouldn't help you and it would only make it worse. So, it was better to stay silent." Dr. Fu watched her expression become horrified. "It's okay. So, you went home and stopped talking. You had frequent breakdowns. Those included blasting music and walking to turn your bedroom light on then walking over to open the blinds, only to turn back around and turn the light off, then to turn the light on, then to go shut the blinds. And you repeated this cycle of pacing over and over again, opening and shutting blinds and turning on and off the light. Then if you turned the light off and it was pitch black you'd drop to the ground in fear and scream. Your mother disclosed this to me. You are also self-injurer from what I've been told." Dr. Fu stared at Marinette and she suddenly started to shove her sleeves down and pick at her pants.

Adrien peered at Marinette's arms as she hid them, catching glimpses of slight raised lines on her soft skin.

"Adrien, you also have an eating disorder and insomnia." Dr. Fu caught him off guard and Adrien swallowed hard. "Currently, you are on a restoration meal plan to gain weight so that your body can heal. Although, I know that's not entirely your fault that you have that disorder."

Adrien sighed and Marinette peered at the shadows underneath his eyes and how thin he looked. She worried her bottom lip as he became embarrassed.

"Currently, you are sitting on a thin line, Adrien. To the point where we are discussing whether to keep you away from the other guests. The last few days haven't done you any favors. We are not sure what to do with you. You hide food to toss out later and pretend like you've eaten it all. You have more outbursts to the point that we fear having you around others. Even Nino." Dr. Fu spoke with honestly in his voice.

"I don't like being alone. It's not much better than my life before I got sent here. And I hate how my body looks. Have you seen it? Like this mark right here." Adrien spoke out, pointing to an imperfection on his arm. "I just want to get rid of it. To make it go away. And this fat?" Adrien raised his shirt and poked his stomach. Marinette glanced from him to Dr. Fu with a concerned expression.

"Adrien. You are severely underweight for your height. You need to eat or we're going to have to look into other ways to manage it. We are aware that you were kept in your room since you were an infant, but if you continue to be an endangerment to yourself or others… I can't have that around my other guests." Dr. Fu sighed as he picked up their charts and stacked them. "However… for some reason despite all of this… despite us trying to make sure that you two didn't meet… you somehow did."

Adrien pointed at Marinette and she slapped his upper arm and crossed her arms.

Dr. Fu laughed at them and how they were acting. "THIS! This is what I need to see out of you Marinette."

Marinette stopped to look at him with a confused expression.

"For some reason Adrien brings something out of you. I want to see more of that. Which is why I have decided to have you two be roommates and to have you two have group therapy together. I want to see how that changes you both." Dr. Fu smiled at the two of them. "This isn't normally practiced, but I want to try it. It seems like when you two are apart… you're both worse. Despite, only seeing each other once. So, let's try sticking you two together."

Marinette blushed as she looked over at Adrien with a surprised expression.

"I thought men and women couldn't share rooms here or wings." Adrien pointed out to him and Dr. Fu nodded.

"We are making a special exception for you two. As a test." He wrote down notes into their charts. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be sharing a room. Ms. Bustier and another nurse will help you pack your things."

Marinette's heart raced in her chest as she thought about staying with him. She had only talked to him once. This whole idea seemed so absurd to her.

"Alright, come on." Nurse Bustier lead Marinette out of the room and Adrien waved at her.

She worried her bottom lip as she lost sight of him. Marinette was taken back to her room, where Alya was busy vlogging something.

Alya peered up from her screen and stared at Marinette. "And my lovely new roommate just entered the room!" Alya turned the computer to face her and Marinette shyly hid in her hair. "She's shy, but in no time she'll be on here talking too."

"Alya, we have something to tell you." Nurse Bustier smiled at her and sat down on the bed.

"See you guys later! Bug out!" Alya shut down her live stream and closed her laptop. "What's up?"

"Marinette isn't going to be your roommate starting tomorrow." Nurse Busier tried to ease her into it. "Dr. Fu felt like he wanted to try a new therapy tactic for her and… Adrien." She cringed as she spoke his name and Alya was shocked.

"You're having her share a room with Adrien? The one that we're not allowed to talk to. Well, no one except Nino." Alya rolled her eyes and Marinette shook her head.

"Dr. Fu has noticed that they do better being around one another. Less outbursts from Adrien and less… mental breakdowns from Marinette." Nurse Bustier peered over at a saddened Marinette.

"Well, then can I share a room with Nino?" Alya put her hands on hips as she challenged the nurse.

"That will have to be discussed with Dr. Fu." Nurse Bustier sighed and made sure that Alya was stable before she left to grab a box for Marinette's belongings.

Marinette fell onto the bed and sighed as she stared up at the ceiling and counted the tiles. She closed her eyes as the memory of seeing Adrien restrained to the bed caught her attention.

"So, how did this happen?" Alya turned her attention to her roommate and Marinette grabbed her tablet to write.

Alya was shocked that she was even going to communicate in any form with her.

Marinette took her finger away from the screen and passed the tablet to Alya. "Dr. Fu noticed Adrien's behavior issues and mine. He told us both how we got here, in detail. Somehow they wanted to try to get us to be more around one another to get better?" Alya peered at her and noticed how her cheeks grew red. "But you've only talked to Adrien once."

Marinette nodded and swallowed hard as she tried to ignore Alya.

"ONCE." Alya reiterated how crazy this all sounded. "Do you hear me?"

Marinette rolled her eyes and sat up. She nodded as the nurse walked in with boxes.

"Here you go. Do you girls need help?" Nurse Bustier smiled at them and they both shook their heads.

"No thanks, Ms. Bustier." Alya smiled and watched her leave.

Marinette began to pack her things into the boxes, while Alya went back to vlogging her life.

Marinette still didn't know why Alya was there, or Nino for that matter, but she wanted to know. She sighed and continued to pack her clothes and books.

"You really find Adrien that interesting? The rest of us are scared of him. The boy is like a ticking time bomb. I can't believe they deemed it safe for you to be with him." Alya was still shocked that Dr. Fu had approved of this idea. She couldn't see how it would help anyone.

"It is a little weird." Tikki slithered around Marinette and she tried to push her away. "What? You can't get rid of me. You love that kid and you know it. Even if you only met him once. Stared a few times… He's special. Dangerous." Tikki's voice faded as Marinette tried to push her away.

Marinette ignored how Tikki hovered around Alya and watched what she was doing from over the girl's shoulder. She had never thought about how Tikki manifested. Marinette just remembered waking from a breakdown and suddenly the red spindly creature was there, speaking self hatred in her ear like a broken mantra. Just loops and loops of endless negative strings of thoughts.

She shook her head as she packed the last of her stuff. Alya shut down her vlog and laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "I barely got to know you, but I'm really going to miss you. I mean… I got to know you, sorta. But I wanted to know you more. I guess I'll see you in the common area, though." Alya smiled and peered over at her.

Marinette stayed silent as she laid down and rolled onto her side. She got lost in her thoughts as Tikki hovered around her, spewing them from her sharp toothed grin. Marinette shivered and rolled onto her other side, facing away from Alya.

"Night, M." Alya turned off the light and laid on her back.

Marinette let the tears fall as she sniffed and shivered.

"You're not good enough. No one likes you. Adrien is only pretending to like you because he wants out. He's gonna murder you in your sleep. You're not pretty and no one wants to hear you speak. You're stupid and not worth anyone's time. No one cares about you. You're not worthy of being loved. You don't deserve to be happy. You don't deserve someone like him." Tikki's words seeped into her mind and she got out of bed.

Marinette peered over at a sleeping Alya and snuck out of the room. At a certain time, they weren't allowed to leave their bedrooms, but she didn't care.

She wandered the halls, peering at all of the art on the walls that patients had made. Marinette stared at each one and noticed little quirks in each drawing. She stopped at the common area and stared at the porch. She zoned out on the memory of when she had first seen him with his back towards her.

"Hey." A voice scared her as a hand touched her shoulder.

She jumped and breathed in a sharp breath as she clutched her shirt to her chest. Marinette spun around to smack Adrien and he backed up, causing her to trip and fall towards him with flailing arms.

He chuckled and caught her. "Careful. I didn't mean to scare you. Couldn't sleep?" His eyes were kind and she shook her head. "Me neither. That was rough today, huh?" He rubbed the back of his neck and she blushed, hiding in her hair. "You probably think I'm really insane."

"Oh trust me she does, kid. You sugarcoated your issues. Dr. Fu brought them all out and laid them on the table like a bad deal at a casino." Plagg spoke and Adrien rolled his eyes.

He watched the black shadow creature linger along the walls and crawl around a corner. "She's thinks you're absolutely insane, kid. She's scared of you. Scared that you'll go off on her. And we all know you will. You lack control and work on impulse."

Adrien tried to shove Plagg's words into the back of his head. "I'm sorry if I didn't tell you everything when we first talked. I didn't know how much you knew. But then again no one here really knows much about me because I'm not allowed near them." Adrien placed his hands into his pockets and kicked the ground. "I'm still surprised they let me talk to you."

Marinette swallowed hard as he took her hand. "C'mon. I want to show you something."

Her lips parted and her eyes widened as he pulled her out to the smoking porch. He peered up at the sky and leaned on the banister beside her. "See the stars?" Adrien pointed out one of the many stars within the sea of constellations. "One day I want to be up there with them. To see what it feels like to truly be perfect and belong."

Marinette grabbed his hand and shook her head as he peered over at her confused.

"What? What's wrong?" Adrien was concerned about her and she pointed at the stars shaking her head. "Something wrong with the stars?"

Marinette poked his heart and smiled. Adrien searched her expression and her gesture. "Sometimes, it'd be easier if you spoke."

Marinette rolled her eyes and left to grab a piece of paper from the craft supplies that were sitting on a table. She came back and began to write on a pink piece of construction paper. She slid it along the banister towards him and he took it.

"Sometimes it's better to be imperfect. Stars aren't always perfect and neither are people. And that's okay. Our imperfections make us who we are?" Adrien slowly dropped the paper down to his side and Marinette smiled up at him. She grabbed his hand and placed his palm on her chest, slowly closing her eyes. She calmed her breathing and he closed his eyes, feeling her heart race.

He slowly opened his eyes and watched her relax. "You really do better when you're with me, huh?"

Marinette softly hummed as she began to drift asleep, standing up. Adrien chuckled and picked her up into his arms as her knees gave way. "Silly girl." He shook his head and carried her to her room.

Adrien laid her in her bed and brushed her hair away from her eyes. He thought about how he wanted to kiss her, but knew better that to do that to a girl he barely knew. Let alone a sleeping one. He shook his head and left her room, shutting her door behind him.

**Song that inspired this and I wrote to:**

**Don't Give Up On Me by Andy Grammer**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Thank you so much for the nice comments and the favorites and follows. It makes me happy that you love this story. :)**

Marinette clutched a box in her arms as she nervously followed Nurse Bustier to her new room. It felt like the walk took ages when it wasn't too far from the room she had before.

She swallowed hard as they stopped in front of a door. She peered up at the door and noticed that it looked the same as before. The only difference being that she knew who and what was behind that door.

"Are you ready? We're going to trial run this for a week. We have safety precautions put in place in case something happens. Before you go in there, if he acts out… he will be restrained. We don't want him hurting you or any of the other patients. He is notorious for it after he sees his father and-" Nurse Bustier was interrupted by the door opening.

"You mean when I see Nathalie with her tablet that has my father on it?" Adrien pointed out and Nurse Bustier smiled at him.

"Either way." She nodded and Adrien rolled his eyes as he turned his attention to Marinette.

"Hello, Marinette." Adrien smiled and took her box for her, causing her to smile. "There's that smile."

"She only smiles for you, you know." Nurse Bustier smiled and Adrien peered up at her.

"Really?" Adrien smirked at Marinette and watched her rub her upper arm and look down at her ballet flats. "Well, welcome." He stepped into the room and Marinette walked in.

Nurse Bustier was about to finish what she had started to say, but when she heard Marinette giggle; it caused her to stop. She took note of that and slowly walked away from them to tell Dr. Fu that they were settled.

Adrien set her box on one of the beds. "Which bed do you want?" He put his hand in his pocket and messed with his hair.

Marinette pointed to the one under the window with a smile. She knew that if he was going to be stuck to a bed, at least he could look out the window.

He nodded and moved her box to that bed. "Are you sure you want that bed?"

Marinette nodded and smiled at him as she opened the box. Adrien sat on his own bed and opened his box, grabbing various items out of it.

A few nurses came in with more boxes, sitting them on either side of the room. Marinette began to set up her sketchbooks on a shelf above her bed along with a photo of her family.

Adrien peered up to watch her line the shelf with various items, one being a stuffed black cat. "You like cats?"

Marinette nodded and smiled at him. He sighed and grabbed his tablet from his box. "Here. Use this."

Marinette peered at him as she took it with a shaky hand. She opened a drawing app and started writing with her finger. "I've always liked cats. I don't know what it is about them. Do you?"

"Ah… good thinking." Nurse Bustier walked in with a warm smile as she saw Marinette using Adrien's tablet.

"It's the only way she'll talk." Adrien shrugged as he leaned back on his palms with one knee drawn up. "And since you won't let us have pencils or pens or anything with caps… how is she supposed to talk?"

Nurse Bustier smiled at him and pointed to her lips. "Eventually, we hope that she speaks to you. Although, giggling is a good start. A smile is too."

Adrien felt his cheeks grow hot as he hid in his hair. Nurse Bustier smiled with a nod. "Anyway, I'm here to deliver your pills and send you to breakfast." She passed them each a cup of pills and water.

Marinette watched Adrien knock the pills back and swallow them with water. She slowly took hers one and two at a time.

"Sometimes… I feel like these pills make you worse…." Plagg circled Adrien and wrapped around him, causing him to drown in darkness.

Marinette grabbed his hand and Plagg dissipated. Adrien gasped and panted as the light from the window, coupled with her soft hand, pushed the shadows away.

"Thank you." Adrien whispered at her and Marinette took his cups to stack them with hers. She handed them back to Nurse Bustier.

"Alright, let's go." Nurse Bustier lead them out of the room and to the cafeteria.

Nino ran up to Adrien and fist bumped him. "Hey, man! I miss having you as a roommate. It's not the same without you."

Adrien laughed and nodded as he peered over at Marinette talking to Alya and the rest of the patients.

"So, I heard you're sharing a room with you know who now." Rose became excited for her. "They finally decided to pair him up. How romantic…" She brought her hands to her cheeks with a daydreamy expression.

"I wouldn't necessarily call that romantic…" Juleka spoke under her breath with her hair in front of one eye.

"I mean how long have we been told not to talk to him?" Mylene chimed in and Alya rolled her eyes.

"Just leave her be. She just got moved into there." Alya put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Plus you know that only Nino is allowed to talk to him."

"I'm curious about how he got here. Like besides what we were told." Mylene became curious as she leaned against Ivan.

"I doubt anyone is going to tell us." Kim scoffed and ate some of his food.

Marinette stared at him and noticed how a guy with glasses and chocolate hued skin sat beside him. How that guy spoke about statistics and reasons for picking one decision over others in an obsessive manner that made Marinette confused.

She got distracted by Adrien talking to Nino and walking outside to another area to eat. Marinette grabbed her tray of food and got up from the table.

"Hey, girl, where are you going?" Alya called after her and she ignored her as she followed Nino and Adrien. Alya shook her head as she went back to eating and laughing with the others.

"Dude it's crazy that you get to room with a girl. I wish I could be roomies with Alya." Nino dreamily stared up at the clear blue sky.

"Ask Dr. Fu." Adrien picked up his spork and poked at his fruit.

"Man… I doubt he'll say yes to that." Nino shook his head and laughed at him.

Adrien shrugged and let his spork fall back onto his plate. "I hate this place."

"I would too if they locked me up as much as they do to you." Nino snorted and ate another bite of food.

Adrien leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his hair as he peered up to see Marinette standing between a couple of lush green topiaries. He watched her nervously clutch her tray and point her toes into each other. How she worried her bottom lip and peered up through her bangs. The sunlight reflected off her dark hair and her sapphire eyes caught the light.

"Hey." Adrien smiled at her and sat up straight. He stood up and pulled another chair up to the round table. "Care to sit with us? You can. It's okay." Adrien coaxed her over and Nino was shocked by his manners.

Marinette nodded and slowly walked over to sit her tray on the table. She sat down and Adrien pushed her in. Nino shook his head and went back to eating.

Nino watched Adrien sit down and stab a piece of chicken. He lifted it to his mouth and when he thought no one was watching, he shoved it under his shirt in a napkin to throw out later.

Marinette caught him pretending to eat and she reached across the table to touch his arm.

Adrien stopped mid raise of his hand and sighed as he let his spork fall onto his tray.

"So, how are you liking this place so far? Are you enjoying it?" Nino smiled at Marinette and she turned her attention to him with a flick of her gaze.

Marinette nodded and went back to staring at Adrien. He sighed and nodded as he shakily picked his spork back up. Marinette let his hand go and he stabbed a piece of fruit with his utensil and shakily brought it to his mouth.

He placed it into his mouth and slowly chewed as Marinette watched him chew behind his hand.

She picked up a piece of fruit and ate it after she saw that he was slowly eating.

Nino was beside himself as he watched his friend slowly eat with a trembling hand. Adrien never ate his food for real. Nino knew that. A part of him wondered if he would throw it up later.

Adrien stared at Marinette as he picked up a piece of chicken and brought it to his lips. He turned away and set his spork down as he shoved his tray away from him, throwing the napkin onto it. "I can't."

"I'm just amazed you ate what you did, dude." Nino shrugged as he ripped a piece of his roll off and stuck it into his mouth.

Adrien felt the food roll around in his stomach as his anxiety rose and made him feel queasy. Adrien lifted his shirt and poked at his stomach, pinching it and pulling what little was there away. He felt like it went straight to his stomach and all he could see was the fat building.

Marinette caught sight of his hip bones again and how they stood out. She swallowed hard as she watched him knit pick over his stomach.

Nino sighed as he realized that his friend would probably throw up what little he ate later, if the bathroom attendant didn't notice. Not that he wouldn't find a way to hide that somehow. "You have to stop letting your father control everything you do, man." Nino finally spoke up and Adrien dropped his shirt. Nino gestured towards Marinette. "You have a girl that's concerned about your well being. I suggest you at least try for her."

Marinette blushed and hid in her hair as she scooted her fruit away from her pasta.

Adrien groaned and picked his spork back up, pulling the tray back towards himself. "I'm doing this for you." He pointed at her with his utensil.

"Don't throw it up later either." Nino knocked his shoulder and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Are you gonna follow me to the bathroom then?" Adrien smirked and shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"No. Besides you'd just find another way to hide it." Nino snorted and Adrien shrugged.

"You got a point." He hid his chewing behind his hand and Marinette went back to eating.

"I'm serious dude. Try." Nino sighed as he sat back in his chair. "If not for yourself… then for her." He gestured to Marinette, who was busy looking up at the clouds.

Adrien watched her slowly close her eyes as the sun warmed her face. The sounds of birds invaded her ears and the breeze felt good along her skin.

Marinette slowly opened her eyes and went back to staring at her food.

Nino leaned over and whispered into Adrien's ear. "Do you know why she stopped talking?"

"She talks… in her own way." Adrien smirked as he watched her organize her fruit into neat rows. "Just have to give her a tablet or make her laugh."

"Dude, she doesn't laugh." Nino cringed and Adrien snorted. He pat his friend's shoulder and turned all of his attention towards Marinette.

Adrien smirked and picked up a piece of his fruit. He threw it up in the air and tried to catch it into his mouth, succeeding.

Marinette watched him chew it slowly and she worried her bottom lip.

"Ready?" Adrien smiled and held a grape between his thumb and index finger.

Marinette held her upper arm and nodded. He gently tossed it and she tried to catch it with her mouth, but she missed and it hit her cheek. She burst out into a fit of giggles as embarrassment colored her cheeks.

"It's okay. Try again." Adrien chuckled and set up again. "Ready?"

Marinette nodded and he tossed it and she caught it. Her eyes widened in shock and she giggled harder.

"TEN POINTS!" Nino called out and they all laughed.

Adrien leaned over towards Nino and nudged him. "Told ya." He winked and Nino shook his head.

"Only for you man. Only for you." Nino laughed and threw a piece of his own fruit into his mouth.

"Everyone keeps saying that." Adrien spoke with his hand and Nino shrugged.

"Because it's true." Nino grabbed his tray and took it to the trash.

Marinette stared at Adrien with an intense stare. "You're going to keep watching me until this plate is empty aren't you?" Adrien crossed his arms with an unamused expression.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Of… course you are. Are you gonna watch me puke it up later too?" Adrien raised an eyebrow as he challenged her.

She shrugged and pretended like she didn't hear him. Adrien sighed and fell back against his chair, continuing to force himself to eat.

Marinette waited for him to finish eating what was on his plate. Adrien sighed and placed her tray on top of his, picking them up. "Ready to go?" Adrien smiled at her and took her hand.

Marinette nodded and let him lead her to the trash can area. The attendant, that was standing guard, took his tray and checked it to make sure it was empty. He nodded at Adrien that it was okay for him to throw it away.

Adrien carried them to the trash and cleaned off the trash from the tray. At the same time he hid and secretly dumped what little food he was able to hide into the trash beneath the trays.

Marinette sighed as she watched him do that. "Don't-" Adrien sighed and set the trays and dishes where they go. "Just don't judge me, okay?"

Marinette pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. She took his hand and squeezed onto it as he lead her back to their room.

Marinette wasn't sure why she thought he was joking when he had asked if she was going to watch him throw up later. Especially, as she watched him pull out a ziplock from some hiding place and proceed to stick his fingers to the back of his throat.

She watched the door to make sure no one was headed in as she heard him quietly spit and pant. She wanted to tell him that he was fine the way he was. That he needed to be healthy. That he was okay being himself. That she accepted him in any form. That he was perfect the way he was. But how could she give that advice when she didn't even take it herself.

Adrien wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. "Okay, you can turn around now."

Marinette worried her bottom lip as she sat down on his bed, noticing that the ziplock was gone again. She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and Adrien's eyes went wide with shock. He froze up and slowly embraced her, feeling something wet soak into his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Adrien tried to pull her away, but she clung to him and trembled. "you're worried about me, aren't you?"

Marinette whimpered and nodded against his shoulder.

"I'll be okay. I always am. I'm used to handling myself, Marinette." Adrien sighed and hugged her harder.

Marinette shook her head and finally let him go. She took her tablet out and began to write on it. Adrien watched her with an interested expression as he felt his stomach turn again. He shook his head to clear the feeling.

She sat in front of him, on her knees, and passed him the tablet. Adrien sighed and took it. "I wish you did speak. Even just a hi would suffice. I'm dying to know what you sound like." He watched her expression become sad and he instantly felt guilty. Like he had let her down. His arms tingled and his skin felt like it was on fire. He began to crave the feeling of a cold blade along his skin. He swallowed hard and read what she wrote. "I like you the way you are. You don't have to be perfect or anything. Just be you."

Marinette smiled as he passed her the tablet. He felt his heart sadden with each beat as he noticed how much she cared for him. "Let me ask you this. Why do you care so much for a guy you just met?"

Marinette panicked as she scrambled to think of what to say or how to act. Adrien grabbed her hand and brushed his thumb along her knuckles. "I only ask because I care for you. A lot. More than I could about anyone and I don't understand it myself. And I guess… I don't know if you do either."

Marinette shook her head and intertwined her fingers with his. She smiled for him and he sighed. "Why did it have to be here? I couldn't have met you outside of this place?"

She picked up the tablet and was about to talk when Nurse Bustier knocked on the door and entered the room. "Sorry, but your group therapy is about to start and then you have to eat a snack, Adrien." Nurse Bustier Smiled at the two of them as they pulled away from one another. "Then you both have visiting hours."

Adrien cringed and his hands began to tremble. Marinette peered at them as he shoved them under his thighs to hide the fact that they were shaking.

Marinette quickly wrote down something on her tablet and shoved it into his lap. Adrien turned his head to the side to read it. _Everything will be okay. I'll go to therapy with you and then I'll even sit with you at snack and then maybe I can go with you to meet with your father. _

"Can Marinette go with me to meet with my father?" Adrien let the words rush past his lips with wide eyes that shocked Nurse Bustier.

"I- It's up to Marinette." Bustier stared at Marinette and watched her smile and nod. "Then, I don't see why not. As long as your father agrees to it."

Adrien sighed and lost all hope. Marinette peered back at him as he hid in his blonde hair. She crawled closer and peered up at him from beneath his messy hair. Marinette smiled and poked him on the nose and Adrien burst out laughing.

"You're too damn cute, ya know that?" Adrien chuckled and poked her back on the nose.

Marinette giggled back and bit her bottom lip as he stopped hiding.

"Ready to go to group therapy?" Nurse Bustier smiled and Adrien got up from the bed.

He held out his hand and Marinette took it. They followed her down the hallway to a massive room with a circle of plastic chairs. Everyone that she had met in the common area sat around. Marinette swallowed hard as she watched them all look up in shock.

"I know this is surprising, but I think it'd be better to let Adrien in on our little group therapy sessions." Dr. Fu smiled up at Adrien. "Is that okay? Can everyone scoot down a chair so that Adrien and Marinette could sit beside each other?" Dr. Fu smiled at the group of patients.

Everyone scooted down one chair. Marinette and Adrien sat down; before, Nurse Bustier left the room.

"Alright, today I want to play a game. I will give you all a situation that a friend would be in. I want you all to answer, truthfully, what you think you should do." Dr. Fu pulled out a stack of cards and held his tablet in his lap. "Now, we'll go around counter clockwise, starting with Rose."

"Okay." Rose became determined as Dr. Fu began to read the situation out loud.

"You meet a new friend and they start out confident and happy. You laugh and joke around. You spend almost everyday together. But one day you start to notice that they disappear to the bathroom often after meals. That they start to push around food on their plate. You catch them glimpsing in every mirror to poke at their face or body. Their laugh fades as does their smiles. You see them less and everytime you see them, they look thinner and thinner. What should you do?" Dr. Fu peered up at the group and smiled over at Rose.

Adrien started to bite his nails and bounce his leg as he hid in his hair. He kept his eyes on the floor and Marinette stared at him. He crossed and uncrossed his arms, switching from bouncing one leg to the next and back again.

"He's talking about you, kid." Plagg sneered as he slithered around his chair. "It's all you… No one else in this group has a eating disorder. Now they know… They're all gonna talk about you…" Plagg laughed as he showed his sharp teeth and began to wrap around Adrien's throat.

Marinette grabbed his hand away from his mouth and Adrien jumped in his seat and peered at her with wide eyes that were red from holding back tears. She brushed her thumb along his knuckles and smiled for him.

"Well, when Juleka noticed that I wasn't eating and that I had taken up meth… She told me that I was beautiful and she told me that she understood what it was like because of her brother. I began to rely on her and soon my mom found me overdosing in my bedroom and here I am." Rose smiled and leaned into Juleka to kiss her.

"Yes, but what would you do if YOU saw that?" Dr. Fu wrote some notes and questioned her again.

"I guess I would tell her that everything would be okay and ask if she needed help?" Rose answered truthfully and Dr. Fu nodded as he wrote down some more notes.

"Juleka?" Dr. Fu gestured towards her to talk.

"Well, my brother is a drug addict and has stopped eating because he doesn't feel hunger much." Juleka shrugged as she hid in her hair. "I guess I'd get them help, somehow. He's in rehab now."

"Ivan?" Dr. Fu made some notes beside her name.

"Teach them to fight whoever made them start that." Ivan crossed his arms and Dr. Fu shook his head. "What? Someone has to pay for doing that to them!"

"It's not always about the fight, Ivan." Dr. Fu smiled at him and wrote down a note. "Mylene?"

"I guess light up a bowl and talk. Tell them how it's not worth it. Everything is easier when you're F'ed up." Mylene began to go off on all the different varieties before Dr. Fu stopped her.

"But what would you say to them?" Dr. Fu wrote down something.

"I would say that you don't need to be thin to be beautiful. I mean look at me? I overeat because someone told me I was too fat and instead of losing weight… I bottled my feelings and covered them up with food." Mylene got lost in her thoughts and Dr. Fu nodded.

"But we're working towards helping you, Mylene." Dr. Fu smiled as he watched Ivan wrap his arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. "Kim?"

"I'd tell them that instead of throwing up, they should work out two hours a day. Maybe more. Build muscle." Kim flexed his biceps and Dr. Fu wrote down something. "That's what I did. God, I miss working out that long."

"Alright, Nino?" Dr. Fu stared at him and watched him twitch and mess with a ball cap that wasn't on his head. It was a nervous tick of his and Dr. Fu knew that.

"I'd tell him, I mean. I would tell them that they were cool the way they were. That they didn't need any of that to look good. That they were thin and that they were okay." Nino hid inside himself and felt Alya touch his thigh.

"Alya?" Dr. Fu smiled and waited for her response.

"I would tell them that it gets better and I'd get them help." Alya shrugged and stopped talking.

"Adrien?" Dr. Fu finally stopped on him and he looked up with wild eyes. He was in fight or flight mode and Dr. Fu saw it. "Deep breaths."

Adrien closed his eyes and took a breath in and then slowly, shakily, let it out. "I would tell them that beauty is pain. It's okay to be hungry if it makes you look better. It's okay to not want to feel. To be numb. To be alone. To be locked up in a-"

Marinette touched his shaking thigh and he shot a look at her as he stopped talking. Her expression was concerned as he got lost in negative looping thoughts.

"What would you tell them to help them, Adrien?" Dr. Fu warmly smiled as he wrote down his words.

"That they look good the way they are. That someone will love them regardless of weight or looks. That they don't need to change how they look for anyone." Adrien swallowed hard as he kept his gaze on Marinette's.

He watched her slowly smile and got lost in her sapphire eyes.

"Good. Now, Marinette?" Dr. Fu questioned her and she quickly glanced at him.

She shook her head and pointed at Adrien. Adrien sighed and turned his attention to Dr. Fu. "She would tell them that she loved them for who they are. That they are special and unique in their own way. That flaws make us who we are."

Marinette smiled and nodded with excitement at how he got it right.

"Great. One day I hope to hear it from your lips, Marinette. And when that day comes… it will be beautiful." Dr. Fu smiled and wrote down her answer.

The group was shocked with the two of them and how Adrien could easily answer for her and get it right.

Dr. Fu continued to ask them situational questions and each one took turns until it had been a few hours.

"Alright, I think we've made some progress today. I'll see you all later in your individual sessions with me." Dr. Fu smiled as they all stood up.

Nurse Bustier walked in to lead Adrien to the cafeteria. Marinette interlocked her fingers with his and Bustier smiled at her. "Do you want to join him?" She found it cute how they were inseparable. Marinette nodded and placed her cheek against his bicep.

"You can come." Nurse Bustier smiled and lead them to the cafeteria.

**One Song I wrote to:**

**Everything is Alright by Motion City Soundtrack (I used to listen to this a lot and even now when it comes on.. I'll randomly sing along with it. haha I used to relate to this song so much. haha)**


	3. Chapter 3

Adrien sighed as he walked through the line and grabbed his snack, which was a banana and a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. He sighed as he sat down at a table with it. Marinette sat in front of him and watched him poke at the toast.

"I have fifteen minutes to eat this." Adrien ran his hand through his hair and slammed his elbow down as he spun his tray different ways. "Then I have to meet my father. I hate this."

Marinette watched his hand tremble and she grabbed it. He peered up at her as he tugged his hair. She noticed how stands fell out in his hand and he groaned and shook them onto the ground.

She became concerned for him. Marinette grabbed the banana and began to peel it. She broke off a piece and held it out to him. He raised an eyebrow at her as she rolled her eyes and went to his side of the table.

He watched her with a confused expression as she held it out again. "You're gonna feed me?" He burst out in a short laugh as she nodded.

Adrien sighed and parted his lips as she put the bite into his mouth. He didn't chew it, only moved it around from one cheek to the next as he fought himself. Marinette shook her head and touched his face. She couldn't think of how to make him eat it. She just knew that he needed to. That it would make him better.

Only one thought came to her mind and it made her heart beat faster each time it went through her head. Although, a huge part of her wanted to know what his lips felt like. Were they as soft as they appeared? She licked her lips and watched the light catch the gold flecks in his eyes. Marinette felt like she could sink into them like a deep forest and run free. He was her freedom. Her sanity and he kept her more stable than anyone else. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she leaned towards him.

His eyes widened as she captured his lips with her own and he quickly chewed and swallowed to clear his mouth as she parted her lips and ran her tongue along his bottom lip.

He touched the small of her back and ran his tongue along hers. She broke the kiss off short and he made a complaining sound. Marinette pulled another bite off and held it out. "You seriously made a game out of this?"

Marinette shrugged with a blush and he shook his head. He took the piece of banana from her and touched her chin. She parted her lips as he ran his thumb along her bottom one. Adrien placed the piece against them and she used her teeth to hold it there.

Adrien smirked and leaned in, stealing the banana piece from her and kissing her at the same time. Marinette sighed as he cleared his mouth to kiss her like he meant it. She clutched at his arms as he swirled his tongue around hers, brushing his lips against her soft ones. Adrien broke the kiss and smirked at her. "How long can you keep this game up?"

Marinette swooned from his kisses as he placed another piece between her swollen lips. She leaned in while she stared at him through her dark lashes. Adrien smirked and touched her chin with his index finger and thumb. He slowly licked around the bite and parted his lips as she pushed the banana piece into his mouth.

He pocketed it in his cheek and tangled his fingers into her hair, pulling her into his lap. He broke the kiss to chew the bite and swallow it; before, he pulled her closer. Marinette slammed her palm down on the table and slowly curled her fingers into her palm, feeling her nails press into her soft skin.

She moaned and rolled her hips as he ran his tongue along hers and brushed his lips against hers. He ran his hands down her lower back to her rounded behind and squeezed.

She softly moaned and bit her nails into his left bicep. Adrien groaned and Nurse Bustier cleared her throat.

Adrien stopped kissing her and helped Marinette out of his lap. "Sorry." Adrien ran a hand through his hair as Marinette hid in her hair and blushed as her face grew hot and her heart raced in her chest.

Her body felt like a live wire with how it buzzed and how the heat pooled between her thighs as she became confused about what she was feeling. She clutched at her chest as panic set in.

Adrien leaned into her ear and whispered. "You okay?"

Marinette nodded as she pressed her hands between her thighs and fidgeted on her seat. She secretly pressed her pinkies between her thighs, realizing how good it felt to touch there.

Adrien slowly forced himself to eat the rest of his snack and left to get it checked, so that he could put the tray and plate away. He walked back to see a trembling Marinette.

"Adrien. Nathalie is here to see you." Nurse Bustier smiled and told Marinette that she could go to her room because his father had requested him to see him alone.

Marinette watched a nervous Adrien follow Nurse Bustier. She then got up and walked to their room. She opened the door and shut it as she clutched her chest.

She peered at her bed and then at the door, seeing if anyone was around. Marinette laid down on the bed as a tingling sensation set in between her thighs. She threw the blanket on top of herself and began to run her hand between her thighs and along her zipper. She softly gasped as she teased herself through the thick pink denim. She closed her eyes and bent her knees. She parted her thighs and gave up, undoing the zipper.

She had no idea what she was doing and only knew the concept of it all, but she knew that if she didn't she would explode. Or rather, she felt like she would. Marinette panted as she undid her pants and slid her hand over her white lace panties. Marinette felt how soaked they were and it shocked her. She had never been that wet and it confused her.

She ran her finger along her slit and gasped as she parted her thighs more and raised her hips to meet her hand as she thought about Adrien kissing her again.

She slipped her hand beneath her panties as she realised that it wasn't enough. Marinette swirled her fingertip around her swollen clit and slipped it down her folds until she reached her tight opening. It was soaked with arousal and she dipped her finger in, only to bring it out and see how it glistened in the light. Her chest rose and fell as she returned her finger to where it was. She slowly slipped her finger in and out of her tight sex and used her other finger to tease her clit. She bucked her hips and softly gasped as she peered over at his bed and thought about him watching her. How he'd lower his eyelids and part his lips. How his cheeks would turn peach from watching her. How his cock would harden in his jeans and what it would look like. How it would feel inside her. Marinette felt herself near the edge and she, silently, cried out his name as she let herself fall over the peak.

She panted as she caught her breath, leaving her finger inside as she slowed her circles on her, bringing herself down from heaven and back to hell.

Marinette licked her lips and removed her hands, redoing her pants and grabbing her tablet to write her feelings down; before, her parents got there.

000

Adrien sat down in a chair across from Nathalie at a round table. She held a tablet in her hands, as usual. He crossed his arms and scoffed as she turned it around, showing his father on the screen.

"Hello, son." Gabriel spoke with little interest. "How are they treating you? Better than I did, I hope?"

Adrien looked away and didn't meet his eyes, not saying much.

"How are you liking the food? Is it adequate for you? You know that once you're out of there you're going to have to go back to working out with your personal trainer. I won't have you not fitting into my ensembles. I don't have time to tailor all of your old clothing. Plus you know how hard it is to take things out rather than in." Gabriel went on and on about his brand. "I hope you are done putting on this act. I have a show to plan for and I need you in it. So, stop pretending and act proper so that you can come home!" Gabriel scolded Adrien as he glared through the device.

Adrien bit his nails into his palms and rubbed his wrists against the sides of his chair until he found a jagged edge. He started to saw his right wrist against it, feeling the sting and rip of his flesh. Endorphins rushed through his veins as he began to feel a little better.

"Stop acting like such a child and act like an _Agreste_! I don't have time for you to be playing mentally ill!" Gabriel burst out and ran his hand through his hair as he calmed his voice. "Now, I have a few photographers headed your way to take photos of different outfits that I need for a spring portfolio. They should be there in two days. You're lucky that there is a beautiful garden there that isn't befitting of that wonderful insane asylum. You will pose and take photos in the clothes. You WILL NOT throw a fit! And you will SMILE like you DAMN WELL mean it! Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Adrien swallowed hard as he continued to scrape his wrist against the metal, causing blood to drip onto the tile floor.

"I can already see the weight gain in your jawline and cheeks. Do you have any idea how that can jeopardize my brand? My image? My name? Remember who you are, Adrien! You are _Gabriel_. You are an Agreste. You are my perfect son. Do you want to let me down? Don't you want me to be happy?" Gabriel's voice became more and more furious.

Adrien felt the anger fill up his soul as Plagg appeared again.

"Oooo…. What's this? Daddy is back. Beautiful… you know he's right? You have gained a few pounds." Plagg began to touch Adrien's face and stomach. "Yep, I can see it now… you'll be out of 27s and into 40s soon. Probably should throw up that snack you had earlier. It's showing on you." Plagg snickered and swirled around him, turning everything black with fog.

"I'm done talking to you. They'll be there in a couple days with the outfits." The screen went black and Nathalie got up to leave him, heaving and breathing hard with anger.

As soon as the door shut, Adrien got up and threw his chair. He tipped the table over and screamed. Adrien fled to the trash can and proceeded to make himself throw up what little he ate.

Tears streamed down his face as he burst out into tears and two attendants came in to grab him and yank his jeans down on one side of his hips to jam a needle in. Adrien screamed and fought against them as he felt himself pass out.

"God, I'm getting tired of this bullshit." One of the men spoke as they took Adrien back to his room.

000

Marinette heard the door open and watched them drag an unconscious Adrien into the room. They put him on the bed and one of them grabbed restraints and slapped them onto his wrists and ankles.

"I need a drink." One of them spoke as they left Marinette alone with him.

She threw the tablet across her bed and rushed over to him. Marinette ran her fingertips along his face and brushed his damp hair from his face. Marinette peered at his right wrist and how it was caked in dry blood. Tears fell from her eyes as she pressed her lips below the restraint. She crawled on the other side of him and wrapped her arm over his stomach as she rested her head against his shoulder. She peered up at him and sighed as she put her leg over his hips.

Marinette laid there and fell asleep. She was suddenly woken up by a flailing and panicking Adrien. Marinette held onto him tighter and clenched her eyes shut as he panted and fought against her.

She sat up and straddled him, holding his forearms down with her hands as he shook his head back and forth to cry and scream. Marinette suddenly held his head still and covered his lips with her own to quiet him.

Adrien stopped struggling and calmed down as the shadows faded and Plagg disappeared again. His breathing slowed down and his heartrate calmed as she parted her lips against his. He sighed and softly moaned as he mirrored her and let her dip her tongue between his lips. She felt him flex between her thighs and she blushed as she slipped her fingers into his damp hair and put her weight onto her forearms as she put her body flat against his.

Adrien raised his hips to meet hers and she moaned as she kissed him harder and more vigorously. He struggled with wanting to touch her when he couldn't. Marinette broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes and panting as she felt herself become aroused again.

"I'm sorry." Adrien hid in his hair as he caught his breath. "So, sorry."

Marinette shook her head and ran her soft hands up his arms, from his biceps, along his forearms, and laced her fingers with his as she laid down along his body again. His breath caught in his throat as she brushed herself against the bulge in his jeans.

"Can you- Can you do me a favor?" Adrien blushed as he situated his hips.

Marinette blushed as she realized what he wanted. She let go of his hands and sat up on his lap. He groaned as more of her weight bared down on his cock. She cringed and got off of him and sat beside him with her fingers curled into fists against her mouth.

"Just move it to the left. Please." Adrien tried to move his cock by moving his hips, slightly, but it wasn't doing much. "It's okay. You don't have to."

Marinette shook her head and swallowed hard as she stood up and grabbed the blanket from her bed. She came back over and he gave her a confused expression.

She laid down beside him and slid her hand along the waistband of his jeans. His chest rose and fell as she threw the blanket over their heads. Marinette peered up at him and noticed how he stared at her hand, grazing his soft skin as she raised his shirt slightly.

"What are you-" Adrien was silenced by her finger on his lips.

Marinette slowly ran her hand down his body, feeling how his ribs stood out and how his hip bones jutted out against his bruised skin. She stopped at the button on his jeans.

He quietly moaned as she ran her fingertips beneath the band, teasing him. Adrien felt himself harden more and become more aroused with a carnal need that only one thing could satisfy.

"No time." Adrien whispered as she popped the button on his jeans and slowly slid the zipper down.

Marinette smirked up at him and slid her hand beneath the waistband of his black boxer briefs. She bit her bottom lip and pulled the fabric away from his skin, causing his cock to go up and against his pelvis. He licked his lips and situated his hips as she touched her fingertips along the length of him.

His skin was warm and soft. She ran her fingers along him, experimentally feeling where his shaft ended and his head began. Marinette blushed and watched his lust filled expression as she explored him with her fingertips, causing him to softly moan deep within his chest as he watched her. Marinette giggled as she pulled her hand away and redid his jeans.

"Tease." Adrien smirked at her and she giggled, pulling the blanket off their faces.

"Marinette, your parents are here." Nurse Bustier opened the door to see Marinette sitting beside Adrien with rose hued cheeks. "Ready?"

Marinette nodded and left Adrien alone in the bedroom, watching her leave with heavy breaths as his cock throbbed. "That girl's gonna be the death of me." He chuckled under his breath as the door shut and he slowly turned his attention to the framed photo of her family. "You're daughter's trouble." He shook his head and laughed harder at himself.

000

Tom and Sabine sat at a table when Marinette was let into the room. She sat down in the chair across from them and noticed how her mother cried and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. A box of them sat between them and she started to count the dots on the side that was facing her. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. One. Two. Three-_

"Marinette?" Tom interrupted her pattern to softly speak her name. "How are you doing sweetheart?"

Marinette shrugged and sat on her hands, causing them to become numb. She worried her bottom lip and tried to go back to counting the dots. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. One. Two. Three. Four. _Adrien's moans began to invade her thoughts and her cheeks flushed.

"Marinette?" Tom tried again and she shook her head to bring herself back.

Marinette nodded to answer that she was okay.

"The bakery is doing well. We have orders like no tomorrow. Some of our regulars miss you though." Tom warmly smiled and Marinette went back to counting. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ah… _Adrien's moans invaded her thoughts again. His panting. How his cock was warm against her hand. Her hand felt hot as she remembered what he felt like against her skin. How his lips felt against hers and she rubbed her thighs together as she sifted in her seat.

"She's not going to talk, Tom." Sabine sobbed and tried to catch her breath.

"Just give her a moment." Tom touched her arm and Sabine hiccuped.

_One. Two. Three. Ah Marinette… One. Two. Harder. One. Like that. _Marinette shook her head and hit her forehead to try and clear her thoughts.

"Honey. We're trying to help you. We just want to hear your sweet voice again. It's so frustrating to see you this way." Sabine burst out and Marinette sat with her head down. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ah… Marinette… _

Marinette touched her lips as she got lost in his kiss and how he spoke her name under his breath.

"She's not going to talk today." Sabine sighed and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"Just know that we love you, sweetheart." Tom warmly smiled as he helped Sabine stand up from the table.

Marinette tangled her fingers together as she got lost in counting again. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. _

"You dirty… dirty girl." Tikki smirked as she swirled around Marinette like a red smoke.

Marinette swallowed hard as she raised her trembling red hands in front of her face.

"Unclean…" Tikki let her voice loop and fade in the back of Marinette's mind.

She gasped and felt tears come to her eyes. "What happened to that little innocent girl, hm? Not so innocent is she?" Tikki giggled as she wrapped around Marinette's head and covered her lips with her spindly fingers.

Marinette brought her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth as Nurse Bustier came in. "Oh baby…" Bustier sighed and placed her hands on her shoulders. "C'mon, let's get you back to your room."

Marinette pushed her hands from her shoulders and squeaked. Bustier sighed and crouched down to her level. "You're okay. Remember? Adrien is there. He's waiting for you." Nurse Bustier smiled at her and Marinette shook her head. "Don't you want to see him, love?"

Marinette peered up at her with tear filled eyes, scratching at her arms, causing blood to bubble up in jagged lines. She felt dirty and guilty.

Nurse Bustier sighed again and called for the attendants to come in and help her out. "I'm sorry, hun."

Marinette felt a sting in her hip before everything went black.

She woke up in her bed with little recognition other than bandages on her arms. Marinette blinked as she slowly turned her head to see Adrien's bed was empty. She sat up and ran her hands along her sheets, searching around her frantically.

Marinette ran out of their room and down the hall in a panic. Nurse Bustier stopped her as she noticed her running around frantically. "Hey, sh, sh. He's in therapy." Nurse Bustier tried to calm her down by softly brushing her hands down her arms. "He's in therapy. Why don't you go hang out with Alya in the common area until he's done, yeah?" Nurse Bustier smiled and Marinette nodded. "Okay. Everything is okay. He's okay."

Marinette nodded and slowly took a deep breath; before, she walked to the common area.

All of the other patients were sitting at tables, on the couches watching TV, or playing board games. Marinette heard them scream out as some of them won.

Alya ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "C'mon! Come play with us!" She giggled and pulled Marinette to a table where Nino was dealing out cards.

"Alright, everyone bet." Nino called out and everyone threw in papers with written things on them. "Better be your vanilla ice cream."

Everyone laughed and Marinette smiled as she took a seat. Alya passed her a piece of paper and a crayon. "Go on, bet."

Marinette shakily took the crayon and wrote something down; before, she added it to the pot in the middle of the table.

"Alright…!" Nino shifted his invisible hat out of habit and began to play the dealer.

Adrien walked into the room as Marinette secured a win and pulled all of the bets towards her.

"Deal again." Kim hit the table with his fist and Nino called for bets.

Marinette peered over her shoulder and blushed as she watched him walk out to the smoking porch with a cigarette between his lips. Alya smiled at Marinette with a concerned expression. "Go, girl. I'll save your spot. Not promising I'll win or keep your pot, but I can try." Alya warmly spoke into the other girl's ear.

Marinette pushed away from the table and ran out towards Adrien, running into his back and wrapped her arms around him as he blocked the wind from his flame. He nearly dropped the match from the impact of her body on his. "You're gonna make me drop my shit." Adrien chuckled as he waved the match out, speaking past the white cancer stick.

She noticed his bandaged wrist as he pulled the cigarette from his lips. She touched it and ran her thumb along the white bandage as he watched her. Ashes fell from the end of his cigarette and he sighed.

"Jagged chair." Adrien waited for her to let his wrist go and put his coping mechanism to his lips. "You?"

Marinette gripped his arm with her nails and he nodded turning up towards the clouds. "Ah. Been there." Adrien chuckled and leaned on the banister with his forearms. "This place sucks. I want out, but I don't? Does that make sense?" Adrien winced and looked over at her as she touched the banister beside him and tried to see the sky how he did.

She nodded and let the sun warm her face, while the cool breeze caressed it. Marinette sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. She wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to hear her voice, but she was scared. Scared of what he would say if she did. Scared of him making fun of her.

"You know I would never make fun of you right?" Adrien peered over at her with a warm smile. "That you can talk to me?" He rolled his eyes. "With your voice, I mean."

Marinette softly giggled and shook her head as the fear of being judged took her under it's waves.

"One day." Adrien nudged her and she scoffed. "Or not, but I have a feeling that you will."

Marinette rolled her eyes and Adrien touched a strand of her hair that was falling into her face. Her lips parted as her cheeks flushed. "You really are beautiful, you know that?"

Marinette shook her head in denial of how she looked. She felt hideous and awkward.

Adrien stubbed out his cigarette and touched her face, smiling warmly at her. He leaned towards her and captured her lips with his own. She turned her body as he let one of his hands slide down her spine and caress her lower back.

Marinette went limp in his arms as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She clutched the banister with her hand and softly moaned.

Adrien broke the kiss and smirked down at her as he rested his forehead against hers. "God, I never get tired of that sweet sound emanating from your lips. Do it again, for me." Adrien nuzzled his nose against her neck and softly pressed kisses along her pulse point, nibbling.

Marinette gasped and clutched to him instead of the wooden banister as he lavished her neck. She peered over to see Alya watching her with a smirk. She pushed him to be more out of view of the doors and he stumbled backwards.

"What?" Adrien felt his back hit the wood railing and turned his attention to their audience. "Oh." He blushed and ran his hand through his hair.

Marinette giggled and pressed herself against him. She captured his lips with her own and he got lost in her again. He intertwined his fingers with hers and moaned against her mouth.

"You're doing it again…" Tikki spoke in a sing song voice, causing Marinette to gasp and pull away from Adrien.

She touched her lips and panicked as she stepped backwards away from him.

"Hey, wait. Marinette?" Adrien reached out to her as he took a few steps forward.

Marinette shook her head and clenched her eyes tight as she felt the banister hit her in the back. She crouched down and hid behind her hands as she curled into herself.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me." Adrien crouched down in front of her and touched her forearms. "Marinette."

Marinette continued to shake her head as she stopped being able to breathe.

"Dirty… unclean… guilty… whore… Slut…" Tikki swirled around her in a red smoke and covered her mouth with her long fingers again.

"Marinette." Adrien pulled at her hands and she held strong against him. He growled and scooped her up. "I'm not letting them drug you up again."

Marinette froze up and didn't move as she cried. He quickly snuck her past everyone back to their room. Adrien opened the door and kicked it closed as he sat on her bed with her in his lap. He brushed her hair from her face as she kept her palms over her eyes, sobbing.

"Look." Adrien grabbed her tablet and pushed it at her. "Talk to me. Please?" He begged her with his voice as she continued to break down.

Adrien sighed as she continued to panic and soon the screaming started from her lips. "Shit." Adrien pulled her hands from her eyes, winning against her. He covered her lips with his palm, letting her scream. "Shh... " He whispered into her ear and began to softly hum.

Marinette panted and stopped screaming as she blinked. Her heart raced in her chest as he panic slowly calmed.

"Ready to talk?" Adrien stared into her swollen eyes and she nodded as her body trembled. She touched his hand and he took it away from her mouth.

Adrien picked up her tablet to hand it to her again. "Please? I won't judge you."

Marinette nodded with a sniff and began to write in the art app with a trembling finger.

Adrien ran his fingers through her hair and began to braid it as she wrote, while her body trembled. "Relax… deep breaths…" Adrien tried to get her to calm down more.

Marinette shoved the tablet at him and hid her face from him. Adrien kissed her shoulder and took the tablet to read it.

"Tikki keeps telling me I'm dirty and that kissing you and touching you makes me a whore. That I'm a slut for feeling weird?" Adrien raised an eyebrow and set the tablet down. "Okay, I have two questions… Don't get upset. I don't mean anything by this but… who's Tikki and what weird feeling?"

Marinette blushed and curled up more in his lap. Adrien sighed and set the tablet beside him as he picked her up and rotated her to face him. He pulled her hands away from her face and touched her cheeks. "I have something or someone? A thing. I don't know what it is, but it's name is Plagg. And sometimes… he shows up before I black out. He tells me things. Thoughts? Looping thoughts?" Adrien shook his head. "Whatever you want to call it. Is that a Tikki?"

Marinette swallowed hard and wanted the Earth to take her into its core and melt her down. She nodded and took the table from him and began to write.

Adrien took it when she was done and read it. "She is what I call my looping negative thoughts." Adrien nodded and licked his lips, "Gotcha. Plagg is mine, but he can make everything go black and I lose myself. I've never told anyone about it before." He was shocked that he spoke about it out loud. Adrien never had before.

Marinette grabbed the tablet again to write more. She passed it back to him and chewed on her nail on her index finger.

Adrien cleared his throat and read it. "Me either." He passed her tablet back to her and wrapped his arms around her. "So, what weird feeling? I feel like that's more of the issue here."

Marinette worried her bottom lip and hid again from him. She scribbled down the words, I'm embarrassed. Adrien sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Can I- hmm…" Adrien touched his lips as he held back. "I'm going to- this is awkward." Adrien chuckled at himself as he tried to put the words together.

She blushed harder as he froze up and tried to piece it all together. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at myself. Okay…" Adrien took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. "I'm going to assume… weird means… the feeling you get when I do this?" Adrien slowly brushed her hair away from her neck, grazing his nails against her skin.

She gasped and bit her bottom lip as he trailed his fingers back down along her shoulder. "The feeling that settles in the pit of your stomach and travels down between your thighs." Adrien whispered as he watched her react to his soft touches. He felt his cock harden in his jeans as he watched her gasp and arch her back.

Marinette nodded and whimpered as he brushed his fingers along her side and down her thigh. He touched her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. "Here. Don't freak out." Adrien softly spoke as he brought her hand between her thighs and ran it along his jeans. "You do the same to me. It's normal and a part of life. You're not a slut or a whore because I make you feel that way."

She caressed him with her hand and hid in her hair as he continued to speak to her. "We're only human. Just because you're not the innocent little girl you once were… doesn't make you any less of a person. We age and grow up. If we stayed young forever... we'd never change or progress. We'd never get better, stronger." Adrien took her hands into his and brought them to his lips. "I really wish you'd talk. I know I say it a lot… but I truly, deeply, want to hear you speak."

Marinette swallowed hard and peered up at him through her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips with her own. He sighed and moaned against her lips as she pushed him back on the bed.

Adrien hit his head on the wall and winced. "Ow." He touched his head and laughed as she covered her mouth with an apologetic expression. Adrien laughed harder and moved them to be the right way on the bed. "I'm okay." He chuckled and pulled her down to kiss him again. Marinette parted her lips in a gasp and he dipped his tongue between them. He slid his hand up her torso and along the curve of one of her breasts.

Marinette moaned as he broke the kiss to touch her cheek as he caught his breath. "I need to ask you something. I feel weird doing this with you when we're not officially together…" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck as he peered up at her. "So…"

Marinette nodded and captured his lips again. Adrien softly moaned and pressed his hips up to meet hers as he grabbed her hips. She gasped as she rolled her hips, using him to slowly bring herself to the edge. Her thighs trembled as he pulled her back down to kiss her, brushing his lips and tongue against hers in a heady kiss.

She gasped and softly mewled against his mouth. "Say it." Adrien whispered the words past his lips as he bit her bottom lip and tugged on it, nearing the edge himself with each brush of her body against his. "Please."

Marinette shook her head as she clenched his shoulders with her nails and trembled as her orgasm leaned over the precipice.

"Please." Adrien begged her as he kissed her gently, coaxing her with his hips. "Just once. Let me hear my name on your lips."

Marinette felt tears burn the edges of her eyes as she clenched his shirt into her fists. Adrien groaned and lifted his hips once more, pushing her over the edge as she ground out her orgasm against his hard cock through his tight jeans. Adrien pulled her down by her hips and rubbed himself against her, causing himself to go over the edge. He panted and gasped against her lips as they used each other to silence one another.

Marinette panted and let his shirt go as she rolled off of him and cried. Adrien pulled her towards himself and held her to his chest. "It's okay. I'm sorry."

She shook her head and pushed him away, slightly. Marinette touched his face and brushed his cheeks with her thumbs as she warmly smiled at him. Adrien peered at her with a saddened expression and Marinette worried her bottom lip. She sat up and grabbed her tablet to write. Marinette passed him it and he read it out loud. "No, don't be sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't say it. That I'm afraid to." Adrien set it down and smiled for her. "It's okay. Really." He hugged her and ran his fingers through her hair. Marinette cuddled with him for a bit; before, he spoke in a soft voice. "I need to go shower."

Marinette nodded as he stood up. Adrien grabbed clothes and walked towards the door. He peered over his shoulder, touching the side of the door. "Are you going to be okay?"

Marinette nodded and waved with a smile and he sighed as he punched the door frame with his fist; before, he left her alone.

Adrien sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He walked to the bathroom and walked up to the attendant there. The man handed him a razor and watched him stand in front of the sink and shave his face, among other things.

At this point, Adrien was used to them watching him use a razor properly. Used to them watching him strip down to get into the shower. But that didn't mean that he didn't crack a joke whenever they watched him.

Adrien grabbed the hem of his shirt and smirked at the man in the bathroom with him. "You gonna buy me dinner first?"

The attendant never found it funny, but it always made Adrien feel less awkward about it all.

"No? Tough date." Adrien chuckled and shoved his shirt up and over his head, throwing it into a hamper. He then undid his jeans and pushed them down with his boxers. He threw the rest of his clothes into the hamper. They always wrote their names on their belongings so that it would go back to them once they were clean.

He stepped into the shower area and let the warm water wash over him as, he ran soap through his hair and down his body. It didn't take him long and they didn't really allow you to take your time. He didn't even have control over the temperature.

Adrien sighed and walked out and over to grab a towel. He dried off and slipped on a pair of black joggers and a deep v-neck black shirt.

He walked back towards his room to find their door open and Marinette being held down, screaming her lungs out.

"Shit." Adrien ran into their bedroom and tried to push people away from her, but an attendant held him back as he fought against them.

He watched them fight her and strap her wrists into cuffs and her ankles after that. Adrien fought and tried to gain freedom to no avail as he felt a sharp pain in his hip, causing him to black out.

**One of the songs I wrote to:**

**Come Down by Noah Kahan**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: I uploaded a video to my youtube channel about this story and a little about me. My youtube channel name is Quantum Chickpea If you're interested. :)**

Adrien slowly opened his eyes and peered over at Marinette. He pulled his arms down to find that they were stuck in place. "Great. Aren't we a lovely pair." Adrien sighed as he gave up.

Marinette swallowed hard and stared at him with tears falling from her eyes. He saw her tremble as she pulled against her restraints.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay." Adrien watched her anxiety spike. "Deep breaths."

Marinette shook her head and gasped as her thoughts took over.

"What if you have to go to the bathroom? What if your stomach gets sick? What will you do then? What if you throw up in front of him? What if he sees you get sick? What if you have a tickle in your throat and gag? What if-" Tikki circled her thoughts and she clenched her eyes tight, praying that it wouldn't happen.

"Marinette… It's okay, baby." Adrien tried to coax her back to him as the negative thoughts took her under. "You're going to be okay. They'll let you out soon, but you have to calm down."

Marinette took a shaky breath in and slowly let it out as her heart raced.

"Listen to me. Focus on my voice, okay?" Adrien continued to talk to keep her in reality, if only, for a little bit.

"Ready to go eat lunch?" Nurse Bustier knocked and opened the door to find Adrien whispering to Marinette. She watched how Marinette calmed down and she smiled at them. "Here." She walked over and took the restraints off of her.

Marinette sprang up and ran over to Adrien. She leaped onto his bed and draped her body over him, curling up against his side and hiding her face into his chest as she clenched his shirt in her fists. Adrien peered up at Nurse Bustier and sighed as he craned his neck down to kiss Marinette on the top of her head.

Nurse Bustier nodded and undid his restraints, granting him freedom to hold Marinette. "I'll give you two five minutes to calm down; before, you have to go eat. I'll be waiting outside the door." She nodded and walked out of the room, leaving them alone.

Adrien ran his fingers through her hair as he held her. "Hey, you're okay. You're free." Adrien swallowed hard as she cried into his shirt. "Deep breaths, remember?"

Marinette nodded and gasped for air as she tried again to catch her breath and calm down with his help. She sat back on her heels and wiped her eyes. Adrien sat up on his elbows, "There we go. Okay, ready to go eat? Not that I want to." He rolled his eyes and she punched him in the shoulder. "Ow…" He rubbed his shoulder as he sat up with a chuckle.

Marinette giggled and stood up, waiting for him to follow her to the door.

Adrien walked behind her as she left the room. Nurse Bustier walked them down the hallway and towards the cafeteria. With each step, Marinette peered behind her to make sure that Adrien was still there.

"I'm here." Adrien smiled and waved as he followed with his hands in his pockets.

Marinette smiled back as Nurse Bustier opened the doors to the cafeteria. Loud screams blasted out of the doors and Marinette froze up and trembled. Adrien ran up and wrapped his arms around her and quickly turned her around to hide her from the scene that was in front of them.

The smell of iron surrounded them as Adrien stared at blood. Lots of blood on the floor. He felt Marinette dig her nails into his chest as she shivered. Nurse Bustier ran to grab help.

People ran in from around them and took Juleka away. Marinette shivered and gasped as she tried to erase what she had seen.

"Shh… It's okay." Adrien swallowed hard as he tried to not throw up and stay strong for her. "It's all going to be okay."

Marinette shook her head and Nurse Bustier ran up to them. "Get her out of here."

Adrien nodded and walked her out of the cafeteria and back to their bedroom. He walked over to sit on his bed and peered up to see Marinette frozen. She clenched her hands in and out of fists as she hid in her hair. He watched her body tremble and watched her worry her bottom lip. Marinette didn't move or make a sound to the point that Adrien didn't even know if she was breathing anymore.

Her knees shook as she peered at the floor, tears streamed down her face as she gasped for air. Adrien sighed as relief took him over that she was in fact breathing.

The image of Juleka's slit throat, causing a pool of blood to slowly trickle along the floor. The image of how her eyes looked peaceful and how it seemed like she had finally found happiness. How Rose screamed and cried, rocking her in her arms. How Juleka slowly blinked as she warmly smiled. How they reached her right before she died, saving her. Marinette assumed they had saved her.

"Marinette?" Adrien tried to speak to her and Marinette swallowed. "Are you okay? I tried to shield you from it. I tried to-" Adrien felt guilty. He felt like it was his fault that she had witnessed it. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

Marinette gasped and trembled as she tried to keep her resolve intact. Tried to keep her mind in a solid state. Adrien gripped his hair and groaned, hitting himself in the head over and over again. "I'm a terrible person. I should have seen it faster. I should have-"

Marinette burst out into tears and fell to the ground, holding her knees to her chest.

"You broke her, kid. It's all your fault. You did his. You made her fall apart. You made her cry." Plagg slithered around Marinette and mocked Adrien. "This is all your fault."

Nurse Bustier walked in to check on Adrien and Marinette. She opened the door to find Marinette on the ground. Nurse Bustier looked up to see Adrien with his hair in his hands, gripping it and trembling with his knees to his chest. She sighed and crouched down in front of Marinette.

"Marinette?" Nurse Bustier touched her shoulder for a moment. "Juleka is okay. She'll be okay. She is stable and Rose is with her now. I'm sorry that you saw that, but it isn't Adrien's fault. It isn't anyone's fault. It was unpredictable."

Marinette sniffed and nodded as she stood up. Marinette crossed her arms over her chest as Nurse Bustier walked over to Adrien.

"Adrien?" She sat down on the bed beside him and watched him flinch away from her. Nurse Bustier put her hands in the air and then in her lap. "It's not your fault that Marinette saw what she did. You did the best you could to keep her from seeing it. Juleka made the decision, not you. It is NOT your fault. None of this has anything to do with you two. There was nothing either of you could do." She touched his chin and turned his face towards her own as she smiled.

Marinette found herself getting jealous that Nurse Bustier was touching him. That she could speak to him. Words crawled up her throat, but her anxiety quickly followed. It stuffed the words back down into her chest.

"I know you blame yourself all the time. That you have constant blame circulating in that mind of yours, but not everything is your fault." Nurse Bustier smiled at him and watched his eyes turn red from unshed tears. "It's okay to feel. It's okay to cry."

Adrien shook his head and pulled away as he crossed his arms, peering at the wall. Nurse Bustier sighed and stood up. "You have individual therapy next. I hope that you two will see that it's not your faults. After that, lunch will resume."

She stood up and walked to the door, taking Marinette to therapy first.

Adrien picked up a book that was near him and threw it at the door as he screamed. Nurse Bustier ignored the sounds of his anger as she lead Marinette down the hall.

Marinette peered over her shoulder with tears streaming down her face as she watched men in white run into their room. She turned to run towards the door, to stop them, but Nurse Bustier grabbed her arm to hold her back.

"Let it go." Nurse Bustier cringed as Marinette burst into tears, shaking her head to argue.

Nurse Bustier pulled her to therapy and helped her sit on the couch in front of Dr. Fu. "Your 1 o'clock is here."

"Thank you, Ms. Bustier." Dr. Fu smiled as he took in the sobbing girl on his couch.

Nurse Bustier was going to explain the situation, but Dr. Fu held up his hand to silence her. "Hello, Marinette. How are you doing today?"

She shook her head and rocked back and forth. Dr. Fu grabbed a clean sheet of paper and passed her it. "How about we draw how you are feeling? How you see yourself?"

Marinette took it with a shaky hand and all she drew was Adrien being restrained to the bed. She threw it angrily at him and Dr. Fu smirked at her. "That's a new emotion."

She gripped her knees to her chest until her knuckles turned white as anger filled her. She'd never been so frustrated, so upset, and so angry. She wanted to punch them in the face and escape with Adrien. She wanted to burn the building to the ground until all that was left was a pile of smoldering ash.

Marinette panted as her anger settled into the pit of her stomach. _You can't blame him for being angry given what he saw! You can't restrain him for feeling anger, frustration! You can't do that! Stop doing that to him! STOP IT! _She screamed words towards Dr. Fu in her head and glared at him.

"Now, let's try this again, Marinette. Draw how you perceive yourself please." Dr. Fu handed her another paper.

Marinette once again drew Adrien in the same state and threw it at him.

Dr. Fu handed her blank paper after blank paper, only to get the same result. He sighed, "I see that we're not going to get anywhere today. I think that's enough for now."

Marinette glared at him harder as Nurse Bustier took her back to her room. She shrugged her off as they got closer to the room.

"I know you're angry, but this new emotion is refreshing and a good thing." Nurse Bustier smiled at her and she shoved the door open, finding Adrien passed out on his bed.

Nurse Bustier stood in the doorway and waited to see what Marinette was going to do. Marinette turned around with her fists at her sides, knuckles turning white. She wanted to yell at her. To tell her how she felt. How she wanted out, but she couldn't get the words out.

Nurse Bustier waited for something to pour from Marinette's mouth as she watched her press her lips in a thin line. Marinette shook her head and turned to face Adrien. She sat on the side of his bed and touched his face, brushing his damp hair from his face.

Adrien's eyes fluttered open and he warmly smiled at her as he noticed the small one on her lips. "Hey." His voice was quiet and weak as he peered into her eyes.

Nurse Bustier waited for a moment; before, she walked over and undid his restraints. "Lunch will resume soon." She walked back towards the door and left.

Adrien sighed as Marinette peered into his emerald eyes. "You okay?"

Marinette nodded as she swallowed hard. He smiled up at her and touched her dark hair. "How was therapy?"

Marinette shook her head and grabbed her tablet to write. She used her finger and passed it to him.

"Crappy. I didn't say much and all I was thinking about was you." Adrien set the tablet down and peered up at her. "Why don't you just talk to me? You should know by now that I won't judge. That I won't make fun of you. That I won't say anything mean to you. Please?"

Marinette worried her bottom lip as she thought. Being mute was exhausting and she was struggling to not just talk to him. To not just use her words and not her fingertip. She shook her head at him with a saddened expression.

"It's okay. I can have patience." Adrien smirked at her and got up.

He held out his hand and she took it. "Let's go eat. Well let's go get you to eat. No promises." He winked at her and she scowled at him. "Okay, I'll try to eat."

Marinette sighed, giving in. She followed him to the cafeteria where they were served a balanced meal. She sat down with Nino and Adrien, ignoring the table of her friends. She didn't want to face them or hear what they had to say about Juleka. If she heard about it, she didn't know if she would be able to eat or keep her sanity intact.

"Dude, that shit was crazy." Nino picked up a bite of food and Adrien moved his vegetables around as he watched Marinette.

"Can we not talk about it?" Adrien stabbed a potato with his spork and stuck it into his mouth, without chewing.

"I mean. Did you see it?" Nino ate a piece of fruit.

"Yeah, I saw plenty. Drop it." Adrien ran his fingers through his hair, causing strands to tangle around his fingers.

"Sorry, man." Nino stopped talking as he looked over at Marinette to see her utensil was shaking. "Oh."

"She's not handling it well." Adrien sighed as he pushed more of his food around his plate.

"So, Dr. Fu said that if I continue the way I'm going… I'll be out by the end of this month. He says my anxiety is well managed now." Nino smiled as he ate more.

"That's great Nino." Adrien smiled at him and touched his shoulder. "I'm happy for you. I will miss you though."

"I'll come visit you." Nino smiled and Adrien chuckled.

"You better. Can't leave me in this shit hole and forget about me, man." Adrien shook his head as he chewed the potato piece and ate it.

"Dude, I'd never forget you. You're kind of a big deal in and out of here, man." Nino laughed and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Don't remind me. My father is sending his photographer here soon." Adrien stabbed a carrot with his utensil and brought it in front of his eyes to focus on it.

"IN HERE?" Nino's eyes widened as she realized how ridiculous it sounded.

"Oh yeah. In here." Adrien snorted and shoved the carrot into his mouth.

Marinette stuck a piece of potato into her mouth as she listened.

"My father doesn't care that I'm in here. Right now it's a nuisance to him. I'm in the way of getting his newest collection out." Adrien rolled his eyes and Marinette peered up at him with a shocked expression.

Nino looked at Marinette and then at Adrien. "Did this guy not tell you?"

Marinette shook her head as she set her spork down.

"He models for _Gabriel._" Nino gestured towards Adrien with his thumb.

"Shut up, man… I hate it." Adrien rolled his eyes as Marinette put it all together.

She swallowed hard and licked her lips as she thought about his eating disorder and about his father. She thought about his jeans and how they looked high end. How even his joggers looked fancy for being plain.

"He makes bank, man." Nino laughed and Adrien shoved him.

"Cut it out. I don't see any of it. My father keeps it all for himself." Adrien rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of his steak.

He zoned out on his plate and stared at what was on it, calculating. _One baked potato, medium sized, is… 161 calories. The steak… is about… 679 calories… Carrots are… 82 calories… _

He began to write it out on the table with his finger as he added it all together. _Juice is… around… 117 calories. _

Marinette watched him with her head tilted as she watched his lips silently move. He cut his steak in half and waited for no one to be looking, brushing it into a napkin. Half of his potato fell to the same fate. She sighed and poked at her food as she watched him resume pushing his food around his plate.

Adrien got lost in his thoughts. _So, I've eaten around… _

"Well, I'm done. I'm going to go throw my stuff away and then head to play some games." Nino stood up and walked away from the table, causing Adrien to lose his train of thought.

Marinette waited patiently for Adrien to be done eating; before, she followed him to get his tray checked.

They walked back to their room so that Marinette didn't have to hear about Juleka. They spent the rest of their time laying in bed, sketching on their tablets.

Adrien drew a strange creature and showed her it. Marinette burst out in a fit of giggles. She added a weird outfit to it and Adrien chuckled.

Adrien laid back with his arm behind his head and sighed as he stared up at the ceiling.

Marinette bit her bottom lip as she took him in. He was gorgeous, even with dark rings beneath his eyes. She began to sketch him on her tablet. Marinette glanced from her tablet to him and back again.

"What?" Adrien moved slightly and Marinette shook her head and he went back to how he was laying.

She finished and turned her tablet to face him. He glanced over the drawing of himself and how she saw him. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I don't look that good."

Marinette pouted her lips and nodded. Adrien sighed and peered at the ceiling. "I'm fat and ugly. I wish I was skinnier. I wish I looked better." He pulled out a ziplock from the side of his bed and Marinette stared at him. "Turn around."

Marinette shook her head and crossed her arms.

"You really should turn around. Staring at me, won't stop me." Adrien opened the new ziplock and waited for her, giving her time to look away.

Marinette stubbornly waited for him to put it back and not do what he was about to.

"Fine." Adrien brought two fingers to his mouth and jammed them to the back of his throat, gagging, and hiding in his hair.

Marinette flinched and tears fell down her cheeks as she watched him empty his stomach. She grabbed his wrists and trembled.

"Adr-" Half his name made it past her lips in a trembling voice.

Adrien froze with his fingers at his lips. He was about to make himself throw up again when he heard it. "What?" His voice was hoarse as he swallowed hard.

Marinette shook her head as she bit her bottom lip.

"No, you almost said my name." Adrien zipped up the bag and shoved it back into hiding.

She breathed out to try and calm down as her anxiety spiked.

Adrien sighed and grabbed the bag back out, proceeding to empty his stomach in front of her.

"Adrien." Marinette whispered his name and took a deep breath, finding it hard to talk. "Stop."

Adrien closed the bag and shoved it back into hiding, again. He wiped his mouth as he began to breathe hard. His name on her lips, shocked him. He quickly jumped up from the bed. "Give me a moment."

Marinette let him go as she held her arms to her sides, feeling like she messed up.

Adrien ran to go rinse his mouth out and brush his teeth in the public bathrooms, nearly knocking over the attendant as he ran back to their room.

He came back to a confused Marinette, sitting on his bed with parted lips and doe eyes. Adrien smiled as he got on the bed and touched her face. "Say it again." He was giddy and excited and his heart felt full.

"Ad- Adri- Adrien?" Marinette let the word play on her tongue for a moment.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he kissed her over and over again on the lips. She fell back onto the bed with him on top of her as he chuckled, kissing her even more. She giggled and peered up at him. "Again." Adrien sighed as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"Adrien." Her voice slowly became less crackly and more even. The more she said it.

"Marinette." Adrien sighed her name as she parted her lips and he dipped his tongue past them, tangling his fingers into her hair.

Marinette softly mewled against his kiss and wrapped her legs around his hips.

Adrien slipped his hands up the hem of her shirt and cupped her breasts as she arched her back against him. He ran his tongue along hers and she moaned against his lips as he ran his thumb over her peaked nipple. He groaned and rolled his hips against her. "God, you're beautiful."

Marinette gasped as he pulled down the cup on her bra to touch her breast with his bare fingertips. His hands were soft on her skin, softer than she could imagine. She captured his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck as he rolled her nipple between his index finger and thumb.

She trembled and clutched his shirt in her fist. Adrien smirked and kissed down her neck, pushing her shirt up and over her breasts. He wrapped his lips around her nipple and she clutched his hair and arched her back in a soft moan.

Adrien grabbed the blankets and shoved it over them as she hooked her feet into the band on his joggers, shoving them down past his hips. Adrien stopped to peer up at her as he sprang free from his pants.

Marinette got lost in his eyes as light filtered through the white sheets and caught them, making them glow. He smirked and undid her jeans, pulling them down her hips.

Her hands trembled as he kissed from one of her hip bones to the other. "Is this okay?" Adrien peered up at her and she nodded. He peered back down to bite her hip, causing Marinette to bring the sheets into her fists.

Adrien slowly kissed above her panties and trailed kisses down to her clit as he pulled the lace fabric down her hips. Her skin was smooth and soft. He smiled up at her as he pressed a kiss to her swollen bud.

Marinette peered down at him as he explored her. Adrien ran his finger down her folds and trailed them up her smooth lower lips, stopping at her clit to circle it.

She panted and closed her eyes as he slowly teased her with his fingertip.

He crawled up her body and she felt his warm cock rest between her thighs. She raised her hips to rub herself along it and he groaned. "I don't have condoms here." Adrien ground the words out as she shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Pills." Marinette spoke and he groaned against her kiss.

She pushed him onto his back, tangling them in the sheets. She kicked off her pants and panties as he fixed the sheet over them. Marinette bent down to kiss him again and he got lost in her as she moved her hips, catching the tip of his cock on her tight opening.

He groaned as she swirled her hips and teased him. She slowly began to roll her hips until his swollen head slipped inside. He gasped and parted his lips as she slowly eased down onto him with slow rolling movements. He gripped her hips and watched her lips part as her eyelids lowered.

Adrien dug his nails into her hips as he felt himself sink inside of her. "Ah, Marinette." Adrien softly moaned her name as her thighs trembled and she got used to him. She felt stretched open and full. Felt like she was whole and loved. If even for a moment. She felt like she was wanted by someone, for once. Needed by someone.

She didn't care if it wasn't healthy. Something about it made her feel more amazing than any sensation a knife could give her.

Adrien pulled her down to kiss him again, brushing his lips against hers while his tongue ran around hers. He wanted her to move. Needed her to move. "Marinette, move please."

She nodded and bit her finger as she began to roll her hips and rise and fall. Marinette gripped the sheets as she continued to tease her clit on him and ride him at the same time.

A knock sounded on the door and Adrien cursed under his breath. Marinette quickly got off him and laid beside him, beneath the sheets, shoving the hem of her top down. He quickly pulled his pants up, pretending to cuddle her as she pretended to sleep.

Nurse Bustier walked in and stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

"She got tired." Adrien smiled awkwardly at Nurse Bustier and she shook her head, ignoring it.

"You have to eat your snack and then I suggest you two go to the common area. I know it's hard with them talking right now, but it's not healthy to hide in here." Nurse Bustier walked out the door and waited for them.

Marinette quickly shoved her panties on, while Adrien relaxed against the bed and burst out laughing.

Marinette slapped him with her jeans and he touched his chest, laughing harder as he groaned. "Not fun-funny."

"Admit it, it's pretty funny." Adrien burst out laughing harder as she shoved her jeans on.

"You- terri-" Marinette shoved him and he grabbed her, yanking her back towards himself to capture her lips with his own.

"Say it." Adrien smirked at her as he ran his fingers between her thighs and she softly moaned. He knew she was close. He had been close too.

"Awful." Marinette swallowed hard and he kissed her harder.

Nurse Bustier knocked on the door and he broke the kiss, noticing how her cheeks turned red. "Finish later?" Adrien winked at her and Marinette bit her index finger and nodded.

**One Song I wrote to:**

**Only Us from Dear Evan Hansen **


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien lead Marinette to the common area and noticed how the others were playing games and watching the television like everything was normal. There was a negative aura that was floating through the air and Marinette could feel it. It made her stomach turn and feel uneasy.

Nino was trying extra hard to make everything fun and erase what had happened. Mylene was trying to distract Rose and Marinette's heart ached for her.

Adrien saw Marinette worry her bottom lip and rub her upper arm. He sighed and gestured for her to follow him. Adrien walked to the front desk for a cigarette and a match. Marinette followed him to the porch as he struck the match on the wood to light his vice. "The vibe in there isn't the best."

Marinette nodded as she peered up at the sky, watching the sunset. She let the warm sun glow on her face as she slowly closed her eyes.

"Poor Rose." Adrien brought his cigarette to his lips as he looked out at the trees.

Marinette nodded as she became sad. Nino walked out to the porch and clapped his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "No ones really been talking about it. They're all trying to lift Rose up." Nino sighed and stole Adrien's cigarette from his hand.

"For real, man? You can go to Ms. Mendeleiev, at the front desk, and get that shit." Adrien glared at him.

Nino chuckled and took a drag from it, passing it back to him. "I just like picking on you, man."

Adrien rolled his eyes and brought it to his lips with a short laugh. "Whatever, man."

Marinette giggled at the two guys as Alya came out to drag her inside.

Adrien watched her laugh with all of the girls as they played a dance video game. He blew out smoke and turned away, hitting his hand on the banister. "You know… Ms. Bustier cock blocked me, moments ago."

"What?" Nino choked on his spit as he let Adrien's words sink in. "She cock blocked you?"

"Knocked on the door right as Marinette was about to-" Adrien shrugged and took one last drag; before, he stubbed it out on the wood.

"Are you for real?" Nino's eyes widened as he realized that Marinette and him were that serious. "Hold up. Wait, wait, wait." He held his hands up in front of his face. "How do you know she's even close to that point if the girl doesn't talk?"

Adrien smirked and tapped his best friend's shoulder as he walked back into the common area.

"Wait! Don't walk away from me, man…" Nino became annoyed as he watched his best friend begin to dance beside Marinette.

Marinette giggled as she looked beside her to see him mirroring her steps with the song. He took her hand and spun her around. She gasped as he pulled her close and began to dance back and forth with her. He spun her back out to resume the choreography on the game.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she went back to focusing on the game as everything yelled out cheers at them.

"Ridiculous." Marinette mouthed and he smirked at her as he danced beside her.

The song finished and Adrien lead her out of the common area.

Adrien pulled her to their room and shut the door. He leaned on it, touched Marinette's hips, and pulled her against him. Adrien slid his hand up her side and along her breast. She softly mewled and lowered her lashes as she parted her lips. He smirked and slid his hand up her neck and into her hair as she leaned into him.

"I can't wait that long." Adrien captured her lips and she moaned against his kiss.

"Bustier?" Marinette whispered against his lips. Adrien bit her bottom lip and slightly tugged on it, causing her to softly mewl.

Adrien let her lip go and smirked with a smoldering expression. "Why do you think I'm holding this door shut?"

Marinette giggled and grabbed his shirt to pull him more against her as she crushed her lips against his. She slipped her hand between them and ran it over the front of his joggers. They hid nothing from her and something about how they sat low on his hips turned her on.

She grabbed the waistband and pulled on them as she parted her lips and ran her tongue along his. Adrien moaned as she slipped her hand down further to run her fingertips along his pelvis. He grabbed her hand and pushed it down further until she was running her fingers down the length of him.

She gasped and moaned as she wrapped her fingers around him. He was solid and soft as she explored him again. Marinette bit her bottom lip as she peered into his heavily lidded gaze. He grabbed her chin with his thumb and index finger and pulled her lip from her teeth, bending down to kiss her.

Marinette parted her lips and ran her tongue along his as she let his cock go and slipped her hands along the waistband of his joggers. She smirked and licked his top lip as she got on her knees.

"What are you d- ah…." Adrien tilted his head back against the door as she pulled down his joggers and took him into her mouth. "Fuck."

Marinette softly giggled as she ran her tongue along him as she sucked hard. He gasped and moved his hips with his fingers tangled in her hair. She rested the heels of her palms on his hip bones as she worked him with her mouth and tongue. Adrien softly moaned as he watched her bring her lips from the base to the lip and back down again.

"Shit, Marinette." Adrien panted her name out as he hit his head against the door. "I'm gonna cum if you keep doing that and I want you to first." He pushed her away and Marinette let him go, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. She stood up and peered into his eyes, getting lost in them.

Adrien smirked and grabbed the loops of her jeans, pulling her close. He undid the button on her jeans and undid the zipper, slipping his hand beneath the band and shoving them down her hips.

Marinette peered into his emerald eyes and got lost in them as he stared through his lashes. She stepped out of her pants as he slipped his finger tips along the band of her panties. Adrien smirked and grabbed her hips, spinning her towards the door so that her back hit it. He grabbed her hands and slowly raised them up above her head, interlocking his fingers with hers as he pressed his body against hers.

She breathed hard as her chest rose and fell. Adrien kissed her on the lips, brushing his lips against hers. She softly moaned as he swept his tongue along her bottom lip, causing her to part them. He dipped his tongue past her soft lips and ran it along hers. Marinette whimpered as he brushed his lips against hers while he circled her tongue with his, slowly and teasingly.

Her thighs trembled as he smirked and broke the kiss to trail kisses down her neck. He kissed along her pulse point as she pulled the hem of her shirt up and over her head. Marinette got lost in him as he continued to trail soft kisses down her stomach to the band of her panties.

She bit her fingertip as he slowly pulled them down her hips, kissing above her swollen clit. Her skin felt like it was vibrating and hot. Her heart was banging against her chest as he slowly ran his tongue along her folds, causing her to moan loud.

"Ah! Adrien." Marinette moaned as she leaned against the door and pressed her sex against his mouth with her fingers tugging on his hair.

He circled her clit and flicked it until it was swollen and hard. Marinette gasped and bit her bottom lip with her eyes closed as she rolled her hips against his lips. "Don't stop…" Marinette gasped the words out and Adrien groaned in response as he sped up his tongue, while he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked.

She clenched her thighs together and he pried them apart to stay on her sensitive clit. He felt her tremble and her thighs suddenly widen. _That's it, baby. Cum for me. Say my name in that beautiful voice. My salvation. My angel. _

"Adr-" Marinette bit out his name before she moaned, rocking her hips more.

Adrien suddenly flicked her clit, causing her to cry out and cum hard against his mouth, rolling her hips, riding out her orgasm. "Adrien…" She panted and felt him speed up his tongue, causing a shiver to run through her. He dipped his tongue inside her, tasting her. She let out a short moan and twitched as he stretched her open with his tongue. She began to giggle and hide behind her hand as he stood up.

"Good?" Adrien smiled down at her and she nodded. "I'm not done with you yet." He smirked and hoisted her up against the door.

She gasped and moaned as he sank inside her tight sex, fucking her against the door. He peered into her eyes with parted lips and she ran her hands up into his hair and captured his lips, tasting herself.

Adrien groaned as he gripped her ass and continued to thrust into her.

Marinette broke the kiss to gasp against his lips as he rested his forehead against her shoulder, panting. He groaned as he got close and she felt him swell more within her. She moaned and dug her nails into his back, causing him to cum.

"Fuck, Marinette." Adrien moaned and thrust harder and faster, riding out his orgasm.

Marinette cried out as she came again. She licked her lips and caught her breath as he slowed his pace, bringing them down from their high.

"So, how was it?" Adrien pulled out and set her back on her feet.

She swooned and her knees gave out from exhaustion and satisfaction. "So, good. Again." She giggled and clutched his shirt.

Adrien laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "I have a recharge period."

Marinette giggled and Adrien picked her up to set her on the bed. He threw her shirt, panties, and pants at her. Adrien put his joggers back on.

She slipped on her clothes and stood up on wobbly legs. "I- shower-" Marinette giggled as she pointed at the door.

Adrien blocked her a moment and pulled her against him, touching her jawline. "Say my name again."

Marinette smiled up at him. "Adrien."

"Beautiful." He pressed his soft lips against hers and tangled his fingers into her hair again.

Marinette grabbed a change of clothes and left to go shower.

Adrien laid on the bed and looked up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. Stars appeared on the ceiling and spun around him as Plagg appeared and burst into a galaxy.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Marinette walked back into the bedroom to find Adrien asleep. She smiled at him and brushed down the skirt of her navy hued sleep dress. Marinette sat on her bed with her tablet and began to sketch him.

She loved how he slept with at least one of his hands behind his head. How his elbow was bend, showing off the muscles that were there. How his shirt rode up slightly to show off his hip. How his joggers sat low and how he had one knee bent slightly. She bit her bottom lip and noticed how his blonde hair fell into his eyes as his chest softly rose and fell.

Tikki watched over her shoulder as she drew him. Marinette continued to sketch until she slow fell asleep.

000

The morning light filtered through their room and woke Adrien up. He groaned as the light hit in the face. He swatted at it and threw his pillow over his head.

Marinette giggled as she peered at him. "You're like a cat." She whispered at him and he peered from under his pillow with half open eyes. "Meow." Adrien made a cat noise and she giggled harder.

"Yep, definitely a cat." Marinette giggled and threw her pillow at him.

Nurse Bustier knocked on their door and Marinette stopped picking on him. "You're father is here."

"You mean Nathalie and her tablet?" Adrien became unamused as he opened the door.

"He wants to meet Marinette." Nurse Bustier smiled and Adrien swallowed hard.

Marinette grabbed his arm and tried to distract him.

"Okay, but can I shower first?" Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"Of course. Both of you get dressed and I'll meet you back here." Nurse Bustier smiled as he grabbed clothes.

Marinette changed into a blush hued dress while Adrien was gone.

She peered up from fixing her hair into a neat bun when she heard the door open.

Adrien stepped inside, wearing light jeans and a white crew neck t-shirt. His orange _Converse_ stood out against the basic colors.

"We ready?" Nurse Bustier knocked on the door and opened it.

Adrien nodded, taking Marinette's hand, and followed Nurse Bustier to the room where Nathalie was at.

Marinette held his hand as they walked down the long hallway. Her nerves leapt up her throat as they neared the small room. Adrien wasn't any better. She could feel waves of trembling going through his arm and she peered up to see him setting his jaw.

She pressed a soft kiss to his arm and he peered down at her with worried peridot eyes. Marinette nuzzled his arm and he sighed, taking a deep breath.

Nurse Bustier opened the door and Adrien pushed Marinette behind himself. She peered over his shoulder to see his father sitting at the table.

"Shit." Adrien cursed under his breath as his father sat there beside Nathalie with a blank expression.

"Hello, son." Gabriel grinned at his son as he rested his hands on the table. "It's been a long time."

Nurse Bustier had them sit down in the two chairs across from Nathalie and Gabriel. Marinette watched Adrien clench his hands into fists, scratching the fabric of his jeans with his nails. "Why do you suddenly care enough to actually walk your ass in here and see me?" Adrien hid in his hair as he clenched his jaw tight.

"Language." Gabriel's voice was harsh and something about it unsettled Marinette to no end. "I raised you with more manners than that."

Adrien growled under his breath as he dug his fingers harder into his thighs. Marinette slipped her hand under one and he loosened his grip.

"I wanted to meet this Marinette Dupain-Cheng that I keep being told about by Dr. Fu. How she's helping you." Gabriel peered over at the uneasy girl beside him. "Look at me, please."

Marinette peered up at him with a nervous expression.

"Hello. My name is Gabriel Agreste. How are you?" Gabriel smiled at her and held his hand out for her.

Marinette's hand shook as she hesitated to shake his outstretched one.

"She doesn't talk, father." Adrien bit out the words and Gabriel's smile faded as he turned to peer at his son.

"Did I speak to you?" Gabriel questioned him with a authoritative voice.

Adrien looked down and rehid in his blonde hair. "No, Sir."

"I didn't think so. You've gained weight." Gabriel pointed out and took out his tablet. "What size are you into now?"

Marinette peered over at Adrien with parted lips.

Adrien sighed and swallowed hard. His stomach turned and he suddenly felt sick. "They- They don't tell me how much I consume or what size I wear."

"But _you_ keep track, don't you son?" Gabriel began to go through his son's measurements. "Stand up for Nathalie."

Adrien hit his wrist on the side of the chair and Marinette fought herself to yank him down and keep him in his spot. He shook her off with a desperate expression as he stood up and walked up to Nathalie.

"Strip." Gabriel spoke the word and Marinette watched him strip down to his black boxers.

Nathalie pulled out a measuring tape. "Arms out."

Adrien swallowed hard and watched her run the measuring tape across his upper back, rattling off numbers. She kept measuring everything and relaying numbers back to Gabriel, who was busy putting them into his tablet.

Marinette wanted to cry as she felt embarrassed for him. His cheeks were flushed and his chest rose and fell as Nathalie ran it around his hips. "31."

Adrien clenched his eyes shut as she took the measuring tape away. She sat back down and Adrien got dressed. He sat down beside Marinette and she noticed how his whole body trembled.

"You've gone from a 27 to a 31, since you've been in here." Gabriel shook his head and set his tablet down onto the table. "What have you been given to eat? Have you been exercising?"

"They don't let us exercise, father. I barely eat." Adrien answered, keeping his gaze to his lap.

"And what does this girl do to help you? She's making you gain weight." Gabriel pointed at Marinette.

Marinette flinched at his accusation and Adrien grabbed her hand. He peered through his hair to look at her. "It's not your fault." He mouthed to her and she sniffed, trying to not let his father's words get to her.

"Why is she here?" Gabriel pointed at Marinette and suddenly got a good idea. "Doesn't matter. She's pretty. She might be the perfect accessory to amp up that photoshoot I have scheduled for you." He leaned over and whispered to Nathalie. "Get her measurements and find me coordinating outfits."

"Father, please..." Adrien begged him to no avail.

Marinette shook her head and grabbed his hand. She nodded at him and smiled.

"I don't want this for you." Adrien whispered to her and she gripped his hand harder to say it was okay.

Marinette smiled up at Gabriel and nodded.

"Excellent." Gabriel nodded at Nathalie and Adrien watched Marinette strip down to her bra and panties.

It made Adrien sick to his stomach as Nathalie instructed her how to pose for her to get what she needed. How his father's eyes scanned over her body like she was a mannequin and not a person. How he commented over how perfect she was as he wrote down her measurements and took photos of her from different angles.

Everything about it made Adrien sick and anger spilled.

"Look at how your father is staring at her like she's a piece of fine meat. Like she's some exquisite fine wine." Plagg snickered as he swirled around the room. "A wine he wants to taste for himself."

Adrien growled and clenched his hands into fists. His stomach flipped as he watched his father smile cruelly at him.

"What's this? Stripping down to be a model? He says you're perfect, but you know the truth. You know that there are tons of girls that are more pretty than you. Don't you? Even Nathalie looks prettier than you. How about Nurse Bustier, hm? I bet Adrien fantasizes about her while he touches himself. I bet he does it when you're sleeping." Tikki smirked and swirled around her as Nathalie continued to measure her bust.

Marinette peered over at Adrien to see him twitching in his seat.

"He doesn't think that way, Tikki. Shut up!" Marinette scolded Tikki in her head and got dressed.

Marinette sat down beside Adrien and touched him hand, interlocking his fingers with her own.

"Now, tomorrow your photographer will show up to take those photos for me. I need you both to get enough sleep. I will also send a makeup artist to cover up those dark rings. I can't believe you let yourself get this way." Gabriel tsked his son and shook his head at him.

"Sorry, father." Adrien hid in his hair as Plagg swirled around him.

"Don't apologize. Apologizing is for the weak and _we _are not weak, are we?" Gabriel waited for him to respond to him.

"No, father. We're Agrestes and Agrestes don't show emotion other than confidence and determination." Adrien spoke without emotion and Marinette stared at him with a concerned expression.

"This will put you on the map as well Marinette. I hear that you love to sketch designs. Maybe one day you can work for me." Gabriel smiled at her and stood up. "We should go. Remember. Vincent will be here bright and early."

Nathalie followed him out of the room, leaving Adrien trembling with anger beside Marinette.

Marinette touched his face as he set his jaw. She turned his attention to her. "Hey, it's okay." Her voice was soft and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Don't listen to Plagg."

Adrien shook his head as tears threatened to fall. He panted as he dug his nails into his palms, drawing blood.

"Adrien." Marinette softly spoke and pressed her lips to his, but he didn't kiss her back.

"Stop." Adrien pushed her away and Marinette let tears fall from her eyes as she started to see his face turn red. "I'm so fucking pissed. I don't want to hurt you. Just back up."

Marinette took her hands off of his face and got up. She watched him take a deep breath and let it out in short pants. He punched the table with his fists, causing blood to splatter on the surface.

"Adrien?" Marinette tried again to reach him.

"I said…" He slowly turned his head to peer at her through his hair. "STOP!"

Marinette pressed her lips into a thin line and clenched her eyes tight, flinching as he banged his head against the table.

"Easier if you don't talk, sugar." Tikki watching Adrien fall apart and fling chairs around. Watched him punch the walls. His screams surrounded Marinette and she slid down the wall with her hands over her ears. She softly hummed to try and cover his pain.

_I'll never talk again. I'll never talk again. All my fault. All my fault. I hurt people when I talk. I hurt him. It's all my fault._ Marinette gasped for air as she sobbed, hearing the door open.

"NO! NO! STOP! DON'T TOUCH ME! FUCK YOU!" She heard Adrien's voice and cried harder as she heard the door shut.

Her hands trembled as she took them from her ears and slowly opened her eyes to find herself alone. She burst into tears and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Marinette?" Nurse Bustier opened the door and walked up to her.

She found her trembling and yanked on her hair, rocking back and forth. She touched the girl's shoulders and Marinette peered up at her with swollen eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" Nurse Bustier looked her over.

Marinette ripped her arms away and shook her head as she gasped for more air.

"Let's get you to your room." Nurse Bustier helped her up and lead her there.

Marinette's legs trembled as she crossed her arms and held her sides. She shivered and continued to sniff, letting tears freefall down her cheeks.

Nurse Bustier opened their room's door and Marinette peered up to find his bed empty. She turned around to run and Nurse Bustier grabbed her. "Sit down, honey." Nurse Bustier helped her to her bed and sat down beside her.

Marinette froze up as more guilt hit her and ran through her bones. "I'm going to be honest with you." Nurse Bustier took her hands into her own and peered into her broken eyes. "Adrien is not in a good place right now. He isn't safe to be around. So, we thought it would be better if he were to be put in-"

Marinette shook her head and shoved Nurse Bustier's hands away from her. She cried harder as she grabbed her tablet, angrily writing on it. She shoved it into Nurse Bustier's chest and crossed her arms, sobbing.

"How dare you! You knew that his father would be like that and yet you still let him inside this hell hole! You are to blame! Not him! Leave him alone!" Nurse Bustier sighed as she read it. "I know. But it's also his father. I can't keep him away. You have to understand that."

"BUT HE'S THE FUCKING PROBLEM!" Marinette yanked the tablet and wrote that on it, shoving it at her.

Nurse Bustier sighed and set the tablet down after she read it. "He's in solitary until we know what to do with him. Please understand our decision."

Marinette shook her head and turned away from her. She dug her nails into her skin and ignored Nurse Bustier, letting Tikki swirl around her and cover her mouth.

She wouldn't talk or progress until they let Adrien go. Until she had him back in her arms.

Safe.

**This song randomly came to mind after I got done writing this:**

**Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars**


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: ****I got asked to update more often. haha So, here is the next chapter. I have the chapter after this partially written. My kid has been sick the last few days and still is. So, I've been dealing with that among working and everything else in my life. haha So, I'll try to update every day or so on this story, specifically. :) Thank you for reading and commenting and favoriting and following. I'm loving all of the comments I'm getting. :)**

Adrien woke up to the room spinning. He went to touch his head, only to find himself strapped down. Three thick tan bands ran across his body, holding his arms at his sides and his legs together. He wiggled his body and hit his head against the pillow. Anger boiled up as he realized he was in a small white room with no windows, except the one in the door.

"You got yourself in here, kid." Plagg snickered as he spun around the ceiling, mocking him. "Shouldn't have gotten so angry."

Adrien swallowed hard and screamed out as he realized how trapped he was. There was no way out and he was stuck to the bed. Marinette wasn't there anymore and he was stuck, alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that kept looping over and over again. It was just him and Plagg. Hope quickly faded from his being as he held still and let go.

Tears fell from his eyes as he sobbed, realizing that no one could hear him. He felt alone and forgotten. He hated himself and everything that was in his life. Hated being alone. It was like he was back in his bedroom with less freedom than before and it killed him. He was quickly punched into madness.

Adrien didn't know how long he had been in that room. The only way to keep track was by the meals that came through the door. Meals that he was force fed through a G-tube in his stomach. Which, he had no recollection of when that had been put in.

A ghost of Marinette visited him every so often and made him question whether she was still alive or not. Sometimes she spoke and other times she would just linger.

Little by little and day by day, he began to wonder when he'd be free to see her. When he'd get to hold her again. When he'd get to hear her speak again. He spent his nights crying himself to sleep, feeling like a part of him was gone.

Dr. Fu would visit and he would only ask of her. He made no progress other than gaining weight. He stressed out about missing the photography session and Dr. Fu just kept telling him to forget about it. That it wasn't important, but he knew that it was to his father. That he would pay for missing it. Although, a big part of him didn't seem to care what his father would do to him.

Nurse Bustier rarely saw him, other than to give him meds or feed him. She'd take him to the bathroom to shower and take care of other essentials before returning him to his room. If you even would call it a room. Adrien liked to call it his cell. It felt more like jail than anything else and he began to cherish moments of going to the bathroom because it was the only time he was free from the bed.

000

Marinette stood on the smoking porch and stared out at the clouds. She leaned on the banister with crossed arms and sighed. Every little footstep made her jump and her heart race because she thought it was Adrien finally being released. She missed him to no end and every moment apart made her hurt more and more. A hole in her chest had opened up and each day that passed only made it expand.

"She hasn't smiled or reacted to anyone in days." Alya whispered to Juleka and Rose. "I haven't even seen her play games or watch movies. She just goes to the porch and waits. Poor girl."

Nino stared at Alya and walked out towards Marinette. He rested his elbows on the banister and lit up a cigarette. "Hey." He blew out smoke and Marinette ignored him. "I know you miss him. We all do. I'm sure he's still around. I- I'm not sure if what I'm saying is even getting through to you. Look." Nino sighed and put his cigarette in between his lips. "When he first got here. He gave me this thing. It used to help me out. To know that I had someone there. Since, I'm leaving soon and you seem pretty stuck to him. Look, he'd uh… he'd want you to have it." Nino pulled something out from his pocket and gently set it down on the banister beside her arms.

Marinette ignored him. Nino put out his cigarette and tapped the wooden banister. "Alright, well… I'll see you around."

She sniffed and snatched the carved ladybug rock from beside her that Nino had left. She held it in her palm and rubbed her thumb against it's back like a worry stone, feeling the grooves that created the spots.

She zoned out on the smooth feeling of the rock in contrast to the spots. Tears fell from her eyes as she stood in silence.

"Marinette?" Nurse Bustier walked up to her with a soft voice. "It's time for your therapy."

She nodded and followed her to Dr. Fu's office. Dr. Fu sat at his desk and waited for her to sit down on the familiar couch.

"So, how are we doing today?" Dr. Fu tried to ask her something. Tried to get her to answer him, but she stayed silent. "Are we going to talk today?"

Marinette kept her face blank and swallowed hard as she kept her hair as a dark veil in front of her face.

"Let's begin as we usually do. Draw how you perceive yourself." Dr. Fu passed her a blank sheet of paper and a crayon.

Marinette drew herself as a broken doll that lacked emotion. Cracks ran through her skin and she wore a torn dress. She passed it back to him and Dr. Fu added it to her file.

"So, you see yourself as broken." Dr. Fu wrote a note down as she sat still. She didn't nod or respond to his statement. "Alright, let's move on to your tests."

He slid her the anxiety and depression tests. Marinette filled them out without much thought, scoring high on both. Dr. Fu sighed and set his hands down on top of her file. "Does any of this have to do with Adrien being gone?"

Marinette sniffed and continued to hide in her hair as she played with the stone between her hands.

"You miss him." Dr. Fu sighed and wrote something down. "He is dangerous. Too dangerous to have around the other patients."

Marinette clenched the rock in her fist as her body shook with anger. She was sick of hearing that he was dangerous and bad. She was sick of being kept from him for weeks. She was sick and tired of him being treated like an animal.

"For your safety and others we had him moved to his own special room." Dr. Fu sighed as he tapped his pen on his desk. "He's not doing so well."

Marinette tried to keep her composure as Dr. Fu talked about him.

"But he is getting better." Dr. Fu sighed as he watched Marinette slowly get more upset. "Well, weight wise."

Marinette swallowed hard and got lost in her thoughts.

"Well, I think we're done here." Dr. Fu dismissed her and Nurse Bustier took her out of the room.

Marinette was lead back to her room, but she shook her head and ran to the smoking porch to wait like she did every night.

Nurse Bustier sighed and shook her head. She hated seeing them so upset. This separation wasn't helping, but there was nothing that she could do. It was out of her hands.

000

Adrien laid in bed as the room spun once again. Plagg swirled in circles along the ceiling with stars. Adrien hummed a tune as he watched them spin.

"Marinette has probably forgotten about you." Plagg smirked as he spun around and around. "She probably doesn't even think about you anymore. How long have you been stuck here?"

Adrien chuckled as the pain kicked in. Sometimes it was easier to laugh than to feel the pain of losing her.

The door opened and Nurse Bustier walked in with a cart. She undid his straps and helped him sit up. Nurse Bustier took out a syringe and pulled his shirt up. She opened the stopper on his G-tube and inserted the syringe. She pulled back on it, causing stomach acid to come up into it. Nurse Bustier nodded and pushed the plunger to send the liquid back in. She hooked a bag of liquid food onto an I.V stand and connected the end to his G-tube. Adrien zoned out on the ceiling, while she let the liquid diet slowly spill down the long tube and into him.

"She misses you." Nurse Bustier smiled down at his blank gaze. "Every day, she waits on the smoking porch. Even at night. She refuses to sleep. Refuses to stay in her room. Just waiting for you to appear."

Adrien swallowed hard as tears fell from his eyes. "When can I see her?" His voice was broken as he zoned out on Plagg.

"I don't know. It's not up to me." Nurse Bustier sighed as she disconnected the bag from the G-tube and began to hook him up to the amount of water he was prescribed. "I wish I could let you two talk, even for a moment." She waited for the water to be gone; before, she unhooked him from the tube and put the plug back in.

Adrien swallowed hard as she put his shirt back down. "I hate this."

"I'm sorry." Nurse Bustier sighed as she worried her bottom lip. She passed him his cup of pills. "Here you go." She passed him a cup of water.

He took both of them and passed them back. "Does she still smile? Giggle?"

Nurse Bustier shook her head as he laid back down. She put the straps back over him. "No."

Adrien felt like crying. Felt like it was all his fault. "It's my fault isn't it? Because I scared her. I yelled at her. I shouldn't have yelled at her. She was only trying to help me and I broke her again."

"No, it's not your fault." Nurse Bustier sighed as she took the cart and opened the door to leave. "I'll be back later."

Adrien waited for the door to close; before, he burst into tears and cried hysterically.

000

"Marinette?" Nurse Bustier walked out to the smoking porch and smiled for her.

Marinette kept her back to her and didn't turn to look at her. Nurse Bustier worried her bottom lip and touched her shoulder. "Follow me." She sighed and Marinette clutched onto the banister. "Please for once do what I ask." She begged the girl, who stood unmoving.

Marinette kept hold of the banister and Nurse Bustier gave up. She walked off to Dr. Fu's office, losing all hope.

Nurse Bustier knocked on his door and Dr. Fu let her inside.

"What is it?" Dr. Fu sat down at his desk and waited for her to answer.

"I need to talk to you about Marinette and Adrien. Again." Nurse Bustier sighed as she set her hands on his desk.

"What about them?" Dr. Fu wrote down some notes and waited for her to respond.

"Adrien is literally hallucinating and staring at a ceiling for hours. Marinette won't leave the smoking porch and hasn't improved. If anything, she has gone backwards. And the only reason that Adrien is gaining weight is because we are force feeding him. He was eating when Marinette was with him. On his own. Don't you see the problem here?" Nurse Bustier was desperate.

"Yes, but he was hiding vomit in ziplock bags behind his bed. Ziplocks that his father's assistant was smuggling in for him." Dr. Fu scribbled down some stuff as Nurse Bustier tried to make her point.

"Look, I can't get that girl to move for the life of me and Adrien is a wreck. You started this hospital to make a difference on the mental health system and right now you're breaking it. You're becoming just like those other places. Don't you see that? I started here because I believed in your mottos. Believed in your words and yet here we are… torturing two lost souls! And for WHAT? What are you accomplishing by doing this?" Tears fell from Nurse Bustier's eyes. "You don't have to go in there and feed him. You don't have to walk him to the restroom. You don't have to pry that poor girl from the smoking porch while she gets excited about every footstep she hears. Hoping and dreaming that it's him!"

Dr. Fu nodded as he smiled up at her. "Then, put them back together."

"WHAT?" Nurse Bustier burst out at him. "WHY NOW?" She was exhausted after weeks of watching them break and fall.

"You said it yourself. They're only getting worse and the only reason that Adrien is getting better is because we are force feeding him when Marinette was already succeeding in that department. "So, put them back together."

Nurse Bustier rubbed her eyes and sighed. "What was the point?"

"Well, if you say that they aren't doing well alone… then fix it." Dr. Fu waved her off and Nurse Bustier felt like crying.

"BUT WHAT WAS THE POINT?" Nurse Bustier burst out at him one more time and Dr. Fu put down his pen.

"I needed to have them separated because of his outburst. I wasn't sure if he was safe or not around her. But, I have come to realize that he was only protecting her from himself. And she is clearly worried about him and it's holding her back. She's worse than before. So, it's not working out in my favor. Let him return to his old room. Maybe work some magic for Marinette." Dr. Fu winked and Nurse Bustier rolled her eyes.

She left to Adrien's room as she grumbled under her breath. Screams echoed down the long hallway from the other rooms. As she approached his room, there was silence.

Nurse Bustier entered his room and took in his saddened expression.

She sighed and undid his straps, one at a time. "I need a big favor from you."

Adrien blinked and peered up at her with swollen red eyes. "What?"

"Walk to the smoking porch." Nurse Bustier left him with that sentence as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Her words took a while to reach his brain. Once they did, his heart raced. Adrien fixed his hair the best he could and threw the door open. He walked down the hallway as fast as he could and stopped at the front desk.

The nurse gave Adrien a cigarette and a match, letting him go. He quickly made his way to the common area and stopped when he saw Marinette staring up at the stars. His lips parted as the light from the moon made her skin glow. She looked ethereal and gorgeous. More gorgeous than he thought was possible. She was a goddess among the stars. He felt like he didn't deserve her. That she was so high above him that he didn't belong.

His hands trembled as he watched her lean on the banister. He stuck his cigarette between his lips and struck the match on the wall, setting his cigarette on fire. He waved the match and took a deep breath, closing his eyes to prepare himself.


	7. Chapter 7

The scent of the forest took over Marinette's senses as she breathed in the night air. Crickets chirped around her as an owl hooted in the distance. The air was cold and felt nice against her numb skin. She peered up at the stars as cigarette smoke suddenly broke through the night air and made her heart speed up. It was too much to hope that it was Adrien. She knew better than to think that he would be back. That he would be behind her.

Too much to think that he would even be tangible anymore. She lost count of the days that she was without him. Lost count of all of the meals where she had sat alone, refusing to interact with anyone.

Tears pooled in her blue eyes as she peered up at the stars and cursed them.

"I wish I was fit to dance among the stars with you." His voice filtered into her ear as the smoky scent got stronger. "Wish I was as beautiful as you. Wish I could caress your skin and be worthy of making love to you again."

Marinette swallowed hard as she trembled, feeling soft fingers slowly move up her arm.

"I wish I was strong enough for you. I wish I could- do a lot of things." His voice filtered around her in streams of red lights as she shivered.

She internally screamed, not believing he was there.

"Marinette. Turn around." His voice invaded her soul and she fought herself. She didn't want to turn around and see that it was Tikki messing with her again. That he wasn't truly there with her. "Baby?" Adrien stubbed out his cigarette, blowing out smoke.

He ran his hands down her arms and along her forearms, interlocking his fingers with hers. Adrien heard her gasp as tears fell. Her knees buckled and he caught her, falling to his knees with her.

She burst into tears as he held her against his body.

Marinette cried hysterically as she turned around in his arms and clutched at his shirt. She opened her eyes and stared down at the black fabric.

Adrien watched her slowly lift his shirt and touch along his abs to make sure that it was really him. Her gaze stopped at his G-tube and she examined it. "Force feeding." Adrien shrugged as she continued to slowly peer up his body.

She walked her hands up his torso, to his chest, until she was touching his face. Marinette peered into his eyes with parted lips. He smirked at her and she burst into tears, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder. "It's really me. Shhh…" He ran his hand along her spine as she soaked his shirt in tears.

Marinette cried harder as she clutched to his shirt. She gagged and choked on her tears. Adrien held her and breathed in her scent.

"I am so sorry." Adrien gasped the words out as she let him go.

Marinette shook her head and captured his lips with her own. Adrien parted his lips as she ran her tongue along them. He groaned as she tangled her fingers in his hair and straddled his hips. She had to be sure he was real. She still thought it was some cruel trick that her mind was playing on her.

Marinette broke the kiss and cried as she ran her fingers along his neck and across his shoulders.

"I'm real." Adrien swallowed hard as he peered into her broken gaze.

She gasped as she shook her head. Adrien sighed and brought her fingertips to his lips. She pressed gentle kisses to them and swallowed hard. "What will it take?" Adrien thought for a moment. "Hang on." He stood up and left to the front desk to grab another cigarette and a match.

Adrien hurried back to her and struck the match along the wooden floorboards. It lit up and he lit his cigarette. "Watch, Marinette." Adrien blew out the flame and held up his forearm.

She watched him as he suddenly pressed the hot end of the match against his skin. Adrien cringed as it burned his skin, leaving a red mark behind. Marinette quickly grabbed the match and threw it as she clutched his arm. She looked it over and pressed her lips to his wound. "Why?" Marinette let the word fall from her mouth in a whisper.

Adrien smirked as he heard her voice again. "There's that beautiful voice." He pressed a kiss to her lips and she sighed.

Marinette broke the kiss and slowly opened her eyes. She licked her lips, tasting the rich flavor of his tobacco. Marinette gasped as she leaned into him.

Adrien took a long drag on his cigarette and touched her chin. She parted her lips and he gently blew smoke past them. Marinette's cheeks flushed as she captured his lips and broke it to blow out smoke.

Adrien smirked as he blew out the rest and watched her with interested eyes. "I missed you." Adrien touched her hair and spun it around his index finger.

"Me too." Marinette sighed as she crawled into his lap.

"So, I heard that you stopped reacting." Adrien stubbed out his cigarette beside him and wrapped his arms around her as he peered up at the stars.

"I did." Marinette swallowed hard. "It took me ages to not blame myself for what happened."

Adrien sighed and kissed her cheek. "It's never your fault. Did my father send his photographer?"

"No." Marinette shook her head. " told him."

Adrien cringed and rolled his eyes. "Bet that went over well."

Marinette shook her head. "Nope."

Adrien touched her chin with his fingertips and she turned her head. He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Was he mad?" Adrien swallowed hard and Marinette shrugged.

"I didn't see him." Marinette sighed and leaned back against Adrien.

"You're talking more than before." Adrien smiled and ran his fingers through her hair.

She closed her eyes. "Are you sure you're real?"

Adrien chuckled as he gathered her hair and pulled her head back. "Yes." He kissed her again and she sighed.

"Do you like cookies?" Marinette peered at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah. Doesn't everyone?" Adrien wrapped her hair around his fist with a laugh.

"Do you like sugar?" Marinette questioned him.

"I feel like that's the same question you just asked me." Adrien rolled his eyes and she smiled.

"Just checking that you're not Tikki." Marinette giggled and Adrien let her hair go.

"Nope. Do you like smelly things and like to complain?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her and she cringed.

"Plagg is like that?" Marinette was repulsed by what he said.

"Plagg likes anything negative. I'm sure Tikki is the same way." Adrien challenged her and she shrugged.

"Yeah, she can be." Marinette nodded as she agreed with him.

"Plagg has been my company this whole time." Adrien swallowed hard. "I haven't had anyone else. Not really."

"Me too." Marinette sighed as she breathed his scent in. She had missed it's dark entrancing scent. "Don't let me go."

"I never plan to." Adrien sighed and leaned forward to kiss her on top of her head. "But I think we should get to bed."

"I don't want to leave you." Marinette began to panic and tears pooled in her eyes.

"Believe me. I don't want to return to that small room. I can only be strapped down for so long." Adrien trembled at the thought.

Marinette's eyes went wide at his words. Adrien nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Then don't." Nurse Bustier walked up to them with a smile. "Dr. Fu gave the approval to have you two share a room again." Marinette peered up at Nurse Bustier with a confused expression. "I may have pulled some strings."

Marinette jumped up and hugged her with all of her emotions. Nurse Bustier smiled as she hugged her back. "Okay, go to bed. And I mean really go to bed."

Marinette blushed and Adrien chuckled as he helped Marinette up. "Let's go." He took her hand and lead her back to her room.

Marinette cuddled his arm as he opened their door. Adrien peered around the room and noticed all of the sketches of himself. There were hoards of drawings all over the walls of himself. His lips parted as he took them all in.

"I missed you." Marinette hid in her hair and he shook his head.

"They're amazing." Adrien took in all of the expressions from being sad to happy.

"They're really not." Marinette worried her lip and Adrien hugged her.

"They are." Adrien kissed her and didn't let her go. "Just like you."

"Stop…" Marinette giggled as she sighed against his chest.

"I mean it, Marinette. You're really something." Adrien swayed her back and forth as moonlight poured into their bedroom.

Marinette felt his hands slip from her arms and watched them burst into stars.

000

She suddenly gasped, opened her eyes, and peered around her, finding herself alone on the porch. Tears fell as she fell to her knees, clutching the wood.

_WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TIKKI? WHY? _Marinette internally scolded Tikki as she swirled around her.

"You never even opened your eyes. Falling asleep on the smoking porch. How pathetic." Tikki scoffed and laid along the wooden banister with a sly smile. "You think he'd really come back. He's stuck in a room alone by himself. You have quite the imagination."

Marinette fell to her knees and screamed as she gripped her hair.

"Marinette?" Adrien ran over and fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her.

She shoved him away and shook her head. _He's not real. He's not real. He's just in my head. He's not really there. It's Tikki. It's all her. I'm insane. Adrien isn't coming. He's not coming._

"Hey. Stop." Adrien grabbed her wrists to keep her from hitting him in the chest. "They're gonna take you away and I just got you back. Please, Marinette."

She continued to fight him and he rolled his eyes and pinned her to his body, forcing her to be held in his arms. "It's really me. Really me."

Nurse Bustier ran out to the smoking porch when she noticed how Marinette wasn't calming down. "Maybe we'll try this in the morning." She sighed as Adrien peered up at her with broken emerald eyes.

"What happened to her?" Adrien still held a trembling Marinette that was crying and fighting against him.

Nurse Bustier sighed, "She's been struggling while you've been gone. She's gotten worse. Right now, she probably doesn't believe you're real."

_Tikki._ Adrien thought and bent down to whisper in Marinette's ear. "I'm not Tikki. If I was before? I am so sorry. But I'm not her now." He felt her pant against him and felt her struggle less. Fight less. Adrien ran his fingers down her arm and interlocked his fingers with hers. He brought the back of her hand to his lips. "Feel me? I'm real."

Marinette cried as she turned around and clutched at him, shaking her head.

"I am." Adrien touched her chin and made her peer into his eyes.

"He's really there, honey." Nurse Bustier added and Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and burst into tears. "Take her to her room, please? I'll be back in the morning to do your feeding and then we'll work on getting you back to eating on your own."

"Okay." Adrien Picked her up and carried her to their room.

Marinette buried her face into his shirt and breathed him in. His dark scent intoxicated her as she kept her eyes closed. She knew as soon as he opened the bedroom door, he'd be gone.

Adrien opened the door and shut it behind them. He sat on his bed and cradled her in his arms, brushing her hair from her face. "You okay?" She sighed and she kept her face buried in his black shirt. "Marinette?"

Adrien sighed and groaned as he leaned over to grab his tablet for her. "I'm guessing I made you stop talking again. I know it's my fault. So, here. Talk to me. Please." He passed her the tablet.

Marinette took it into her hand and began to write something. She passed it back to him with a trembling hand.

Adrien cleared his throat and looked it over. "What did they do to you?" He sighed and she climbed out of his lap as he lifted his shirt. "Well, they put a G-tube in. I don't remember when that happened." Marinette looked it over as she ran her fingers along his abs. "They had me strapped down for days. I was forced to stare at a ceiling for hours. The only time I got let out was to use the bathroom or shower."

Marinette cringed up at him as tears fell down her eyes. She took the tablet back and erased what she had written with her finger. She began to write something else on the screen.

"Tikki tricked me and made me think that you were there and it felt so real. I'm scared that this isn't real either because it felt so real before." Adrien sighed as he read what she wrote. He touched her cheek and rubbed his thumb along it. "I'm real, baby. I promise."

Tikki swirled around him and she stared at her. The creature giggled as she spun around him and Marinette leaped onto him, clutching him to keep him there.

Adrien wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm really here. Nothing will pull me away from you. Promise. Just try and sleep. I'll still be here in the morning. Okay?"

Marinette sobbed against him and he laid back, rolling her to his side so that she wouldn't press against his G-tube. Adrien winced at the slight pain and tried to get comfortable. He peered around at her side of the bed to find drawings of himself. She really had been missing him and imagining that he was there.

"I get that you would think I wasn't real. You visited me many times in that room. I almost didn't believe that I was staring at you. I don't deserve someone like you. Especially after I yelled at you. After I made you hurt and go backwards. Made you stop talking again." Adrien swallowed hard as tears fell from his eyes. He stroked her soft hair and sighed, staring at the ceiling as Plagg swirled around it. "Even now. I'm questioning whether you're really here with me or not."

Marinette gathered his soft shirt into her fist and cried for him. Adrien held her tighter against his body as she fell apart. He ran his fingers down her spine and pressed his lips to her hair as she trembled. Adrien soon felt her go still and noticed how her breathing became even. He sighed and relaxed back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. _This is all my fault. I did this to her. I made her this way. I made her this way. I made her…_

Adrien fell asleep with her against his body with the words looping in his head.

000

The light filtered into the room and Marinette slowly opened her eyes to see Nurse Bustier.

"Sleep well?" Nurse Bustier smiled down at her and watched as Marinette rubbed her eyes and yawned.

She sat up and peered down at Adrien, scurrying back against the wall.

Adrien groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He looked over at Marinette and held his hands up. "It's okay." He smiled for her with a concerned expression and watched her relax.

"It's going to take you some time, but he is really there, Marinette." Nurse Bustier smiled at her and then turned her attention to Adrien.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, lifting his shirt for her. "You might not want to watch." Adrien peered over at Marinette and she shook her head and scooted closer, taking his hand.

She watched Nurse Bustier open the stopper on the tube and connect a syringe to it, pulling stomach acid out first. Adrien cleared his throat and peered over at Marinette to distract himself.

Nurse Bustier pushed the plunger down to put the acid back in; before, she grabbed the I.V stand and brought it over. Marinette watched her hook a bag of liquid food to it and then run the line to his G-plug. She swallowed hard as she watched Nurse Bustier unclamp the line to run the food down at the right pace.

"Should take about an hour." Nurse Bustier smiled at Marinette and watched the girl nod.

Marinette stared at Adrien and got lost in his eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled for her. She grabbed the tablet and began to write on it, passing it to him.

Adrien moved his lips as he silently read it. "Does it feel weird? Is it uncomfortable?" Adrien looked at her with a sigh. "I'd be lying if I said it was comfortable."

Marinette worried her bottom lip as she watched the bag slowly empty. She grabbed the tablet and began to write on it. She passed it back to him.

"You dummy. Why didn't you just eat?" Adrien laughed to himself at what she had wrote. "What's the point if I don't have you?"

Marinette groaned and put her hands on her hips. Adrien laughed at her harder and cringed as the G-tube moved. "Can't laugh."

"Just try and relax." Nurse Bustier smiled as she watched the last of the meal supplement empty from the bag. She unhooked it and set up his prescribed water intake.

Adrien sighed as she ran water through the line. Marinette interlaced her fingers with his as she worried her bottom lip. "I'm okay. Almost done and I can sit with you while you eat." Adrien smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"And you're free." Nurse Bustier unhooked him from the line and cleaned his G-plug; before, she replaced the stopper.

Adrien pulled his shirt down and Nurse Bustier passed them both a cup of pills and one of water.

They both took the pills and Adrien sighed as Nurse Bustier lead them to the cafeteria.  
Marinette walked through the line with Adrien and felt everyone staring at them. Adrien touched her back and coaxed her through the line. She got her meal and he lead her outside.

Marinette sat at the table and Adrien swallowed hard as he watched her push her food around with her spork.

"Eat, please." Adrien sighed as he watched her.

Marinette stabbed some of her eggs and brought them to her lips without showing any emotion. She was still unsure if he was really there or if he was Tikki in disguise pushing her to eat or do something.

Adrien sighed as she slowly chewed her food. He took her spork from her and she peered at him with shocked eyes.

Adrien scooped up more eggs and held it out to her. "You need to eat."

Marinette felt her hands tremble as she swallowed and slowly parted her lips for him. He slipped the spork into her mouth and she ate.

She felt her stomach flip as she still felt Tikki hanging around her back, digging her claws into her shoulders.

Adrien picked up one of her fruit pieces and held it out to her. Marinette reluctantly took a bite and chewed it. "Still worried I'm not here?"

Marinette nodded as Nino ran past her and grabbed Adrien's shoulders. "My MAN!"

"Hey, Nino." Adrien chuckled as he bumped fists with him.

Nino sat down and Adrien picked up another piece of melon, holding it out to her.

"She still think you're not real?" Nino stared at Marinette take the fruit, with her hands, and eat it.

"Yeah." Adrien sighed as he picked up eggs onto the spork and Marinette took the utensil in her hand to feed herself.

Marinette began to hide in her hair and eat her food as embarrassment kicked in. The fact that Nino saw him, caused her to believe that he was really there until Tikki invaded.

"You know how silly you probably look, pretending like Adrien is feeding you." Tikki snickered as she swirled around Marinette.

Marinette shook her head and hit her palm against her forehead as she twitched.

"She's been worse since you've been gone." Nino sighed and leaned into Adrien to talk to him. "Hasn't even talked to the other girls. She just has stood on that smoking porch, waiting. I gave her your ladybug stone." Nino leaned back away from him and Adrien perked up from what he had told him.

"You have my ladybug rock?" Adrien was surprised that she had it with her.

Marinette pulled the rock from her pocket and slid it across the table.

Adrien picked it up and looked over it. "Before my mother passed away, she gave me this. It was from one of her business trips." He softly laughed as he remembered it. "I was really little and I remember she woke me up from my nap to hand it to me. She told me it would make all the monsters go away." He rolled his eyes and set it back down in front of her. "Too bad it didn't work."

Marinette slid the stone back into her pocket and Adrien watched her continue to eat her food.

"I wish you would talk." Adrien sighed as he leaned on his palm with his elbow on the table.

Marinette finished her food and stood up. Adrien peered over at Nino and hit him on the shoulder. "I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Of course." Nino nodded and watched him lead Marinette to the trash can area.

Adrien lead her back to the common area and Marinette shook her head. "What? You don't want to go there?" He watched her shake her head again in protest. "Okay, then we won't." Adrien lead her back to the hallway.

Marinette followed him down the hallway and back to their room. She sighed as he opened the door and let her inside. Adrien watched her sit on her bed and grab a sketchbook to color in. He sat down beside her and watched her draw.

"You draw really well." Adrien smirked at her as he leaned back on his palms.

A knock sounded on the door and Nurse Bustier stepped inside. "Marinette? Your parents are here."

Marinette set her sketchbook down and stared at Adrien as she walked up to Nurse Bustier.

"Adrien? Come on." Nurse Bustier gestured for him to follow.

Adrien raised an eyebrow as he jumped up and took Marinette's hand.

"They want to meet you." Nurse Bustier smiled at him and they walked down to the visiting area.

Nurse Bustier opened the door for them and Marinette peered up to see her parents sitting in the two chairs across from a table.

"Hey, sweetheart." Tom smiled at her and Marinette sat down without an expression.

Adrien watched how she sat with her hands in her lap, unmoving.

Sabine turned her attention to Adrien and held out her hand. "Hello, my name is Sabine." She gave him a warm and kind smile that reminded him of home.

Adrien held his hand out and shook hers with a worried expression.

"We're not here to judge you, dear." Sabine nodded at Adrien with a warm smile. "What's your name?"

"Adrien. Agre-" He couldn't get his last name past his lips and Sabine nodded, patting the back of his trembling hand.

"It's okay." Sabine smiled and sat back in her seat. "Thank you for being so kind to our daughter, Adrien."

"It's really not a problem at all. She's an amazing girl." Adrien smiled over at Marinette, who was busy playing with a string on her shirt.

Sabine leaned across the table and whispered towards him. "How can you know if she doesn't talk?"

Adrien smirked and took Marinette's hand, causing her to look up at him and smile. "I can see it in what she does. How she reacts. How she giggles at my bad jokes. How she worries about everyone around her. How she sees me even when I can't see past my flaws. She's an amazing human being."

Tom and Sabine were shocked to see Marinette smile at him. They hadn't seen her smile in ages.

"And you got all this from being around her?" Tom raised an eyebrow and Adrien peered over at him.

"If you sit beside her long enough and watch her… you can learn a lot from her. Plus she writes to me." Adrien smiled at him and Tom smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that she's talking in some form to someone." Tom warmly sighed as he sat back and wrapped his arm around Sabine's shoulders. He peered into her eyes and nodded. "We're worried about her."

Marinette's smile faded as she zoned out on a self-help poster that was on the wall. Adrien peered at her and then back at her parents. "We had a falling out due to my outburst. I take full responsibility for it. But she's doing okay." He clenched her hand in his. "We're doing okay."

"I'm so happy to know that." Sabine smiled at the two of them as she watched Adrien press Marinette's knuckles to his lips.

Marinette closed her eyes and got lost in the softness of his gentle kiss.

"How are you?" Sabine smiled at Adrien, catching him off guard.

He wasn't used to someone caring about him. Wasn't used to someone asking him that question.

"Uh…" Adrien shook his head as he thought of how to answer. "I'm doing okay. Sorry, I'm just-" He pressed his lips into a thin line, bringing himself back to reality as tears threatened to fall. "I'm not used to being asked that question."

"Everyone deserves to be loved and cared about, dear." Sabine smiled and took his hand from across the table. "I don't know what happened to you or why you're here, but… know that you are loved and that someone cares about you. That everything is going to be okay and get better for you. It can't storm all the time. The sun has to come out eventually."

Adrien's eyes widened at her words as they warmed his heart. He peered over at Marinette with wonder in his eyes. How could she be so broken with such loving parents? How could she be mute when she had them to be there for her? He had no one that cared for him. No one to ask him how he was, except for psychologists and therapists. Nurses.

"I know this probably doesn't mean much, but thank you." Adrien let a tear fall down his cheek and quickly rubbed it away, pretending to itch his eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Sabine grabbed a tissue and passed him it. "We know it can be hard. It's hard for us to see Marinette this way, but seeing her smile makes it all feel a little better."

"Well, I'm glad that I can make your day a little brighter. She's a good girl. Very talented. She's the only light in this place." Adrien touched her thigh and Marinette peered over at him with a weak smile as tears filled her eyes.

"We're so glad that she is being herself around you. It only gives us hope." Tom smiled at them and stood up. "We should go."

Sabine stood up and walked around the table, staring at Adrien. "May I hug you?"

Adrien stood up and she wrapped her arms around him, feeling his bones against his skin. He was too skinny for her liking, but she chose to ignore that. She hugged him and sighed. "Thank you, Adrien. For everything. We really appreciate you. Continue to get better. I want to see your bright smiling face at our bakery one day." She let him go and touched his shoulders. "Don't forget to tell yourself that you're amazing too."

"You got our daughter to smile. That's an accomplishment." Tom winked at him and Sabine slapped his arm.

"TOM!" Sabine laughed and rolled her eyes. She turned her attention back to her daughter and Adrien. "Continue to find strength in not only each other, but within yourselves. You're worth it."

Sabine took Tom's arm and they walked out of the room. Marinette fell to her knees once the door closed and Adrien crouched down to hold her. She burst into tears and sobbed.

"What's wrong?" Adrien touched her jawline as her lips trembled. The realization that like him, it took a toll on her emotionally to see her parents hit him like a massive rock that he had been pushing up hill. "Stupid question." He rolled his eyes at himself and held her in his lap, rocking her back and forth. He ran his fingers through her hair and waited for it to pass. "It's okay. I know it's hard, but they love you. Truly love you. You're lucky. Most of the people in here don't have family like yours." Adrien tried to calm her down.

Marinette gasped as she shook her head and clung to his shirt. She grabbed a paper from the table and he pencil and began to scribble down her thoughts in shaky handwriting. She passed him it and he read what it said.

"You don't know what it's like letting them down. Making your mother cry. Seeing what you're doing to them. How you're affecting them, but you can't stop." Adrien thought for a moment and tore the paper up, so that no one would find it, as he shoved it into the small trash can beside the table.

"Marinette." He touched her chin with a warm smile. "I do know what that's like. I let my father down daily. Hell, I let him down just by existing. My mom passed away and she was the only one that would listen to me. But now she's gone. This place was made to house us. This place wasn't made to help. The only thing that can help us? Is ourselves. Yes, there are some therapists out there that are better than here, but this is considered the best place to be. But is it?" Adrien ran his hands along her cheeks and watched her shake her head and tremble. "It's a hell hole made to house the broken. No one is truly getting better here. No one is truly okay. But can we win against our own battles and be well enough to survive? You bet that's possible. But not here. Not in a place like this. You have a fighting chance because you have an amazing support system at home, Marinette." He laughed and messed up his hair. "Look at mine. My father had me strip down to measure me and not only that… he had you do it too. My future is not looking good. I have a fucking G-tube for God's sake."

Marinette shook her head and captured his lips, making him stop talking. He sighed and got lost in her soft lips as Nurse Bustier opened the door.

**Song I wrote this to:**

**Smoke by Violette Wautier**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Today is my husband's birthday! I tried to get this out before he got home from work. :) Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments! I love them all! You guys are amazing!**

Marinette sat on the couch beside Alya and watched as Mylene ran around, throwing stuff. She lit a match and set a playing card on fire, throwing it to the ground. It caught more papers on fire and Nurse Bustier ran in to throw water on it.

Mylene screamed at them and ran to the tables, knocking them over. Marinette brought her knees to her chest, hiding in her arms with her hands over her ears.

Adrien let the cigarette fall from his lips as he peered inside at the commotion to find Mylene with a something in her hand. She stood up on a table and began to tie it to the light.

"Shit!" Adrien ran in and grabbed Marinette from the couch, shielding her again.

Alya got lost in watching Mylene tie the other end around her neck. "SOMEONE!" Alya burst out as Mylene kicked the table out of the way and dropped.

Nurse Bustier froze in her spot. It was the second one in the last few days.

"God damnit." Adrien cursed under his breath and shoved Ivan at Mylene. "Get your damn girlfriend down."

Ivan shook his head and ran up to her, trying to grab her kicking legs. Adrien shook his head as he held Marinette to his chest, covering her ears from hearing Mylene choke.

Men in white ran in to cut her down, shoving Ivan out of the way. "They really need to up our pay." The man helped the other to take Mylene away.

Marinette burst into tears as she trembled. "Jesus." Adrien sighed as he held her against him. "Fucking dysfunctional staff. How hard is it to save people?"

Ivan fell to his knees and stared at his trembling hands as he was hit with heartache. He panicked with wide eyes as he realized that he almost lost her.

"Ivan?" Nurse Bustier walked up to him and touched his shoulder, causing him to pant and swing at her. "It's okay."

Ivan shook his head as a blind rage set in. "It's not okay! Nothing in here is okay! You just stood by and watched!"

"I-" Nurse Bustier tried to explain herself, but gave up.

More men in white came in to take Ivan away after knocking him out.

"Who's ready for group therapy?" Nurse Bustier tried to smile as she took in all of the shocked patients. "Me either." She mouthed and coaxed them all to the group therapy room.

Everyone sat around in a circle and Dr. Fu sat in his usual spot.

"I understand that we have had some tragedies the past few days, but we must look past that. So, let's start off with how we all feel. Let's start with Juleka today." Dr. Fu clicked his pen and got ready to take notes about them all.

"I feel okay today. Nothing too spectacular. Nothing really worth talking about." Juleka shrugged and Dr. Fu wrote something down.

"Nothing at all?" Dr. Fu pushed her for answers.

"I guess I feel… alive? Is that an emotion?" Juleka winced as she tried to piece together how she felt to no avail.

"It can be." Dr. Fu wrote down how she felt and moved on to Rose.

"I feel thankful that Juleka is still here." Rose felt tears burn at the corner of her eyes again as she took Juleka's hand in hers.

"Yes. We are all thankful that she is here with us." Dr. Fu took more notes and peered over at Nino. "Nino, you're about to be a free man. How do you feel?"

"Relieved, but also sad. I'm going to miss everyone here. But I do plan to visit. Especially, my man here." Nino put his arm around Adrien's shoulders.

"Thanks man." Adrien smirked at him and fist bumped him.

"What about you, Adrien?" Dr. Fu stared at him with special interest. "How are you doing?"

"I'd rather not say." Adrien crossed his arms and stared at him with an annoyed expression. "Especially after the shit you two pulled."

"Ah… I assume you're talking about your G-tube. It was necessary." Dr. Fu wrote something down.

"I mean locking me in a small room." Adrien burst out and caused everyone to be in shock.

"Let's save this for our one on one sessions, hm?" Dr. Fu wrote something down and tried to move on to Alya, but Adrien interrupted him.

"Do you not see how corrupt this all is? How this is all not okay?" Adrien shook his head at Dr. Fu. "Or are we just going to ignore the two patients that tried to off themselves in your facility?"

"Guests." Dr. Fu corrected him and Adrien rolled his eyes. "Alya?"

Adrien gripped his hands into fists, causing his knuckles to turn white.

"I've been okay. Having a bit of an issue dealing with Nino leaving, but it's okay." Alya sniffed as her heart ached.

Nino took her hand and rubbed the back of it. "It's okay. I'll come visit you too. Every day if I can." Nino kissed her cheek.

"We'll continue to work on it." Dr. Fu smiled at her and moved on to Marinette. "Are we ready to speak today, Marinette?"

She shook her head and Adrien ran his fingers through his hair, causing more loose hairs to circle his fingers.

"Adrien? Care to explain how she feels or are you not going to help us today?" Dr. Fu watched him slap his thigh and sigh.

"She just saw Mylene. What do you think she's feeling? You know what? How do you think every damn person is this room is feeling after seeing two friends try to off themselves? Do you ever think about how insensitive you are being?" Adrien rolled his eyes and spoke up for everyone.

The group erupted in nods and words of agreeance with Adrien's words.

"Look. This happens all the time. You have seen people break before. If I focused on the negative at all times, how would that help you all? Do you really want me to sit here and discuss what you all saw? No, I am trying to take your minds off of it. So sit still, listen up, and answer my questions." Dr. Fu was fed up with the group of people and was emotionally exhausted.

The group stopped talking and sat still without making a sound.

"Now, let's move on to my situational questions." Dr. Fu started a new piece of paper and held his pen in position.

"Do these situational questions involve working out?" Kim raised his hand and Dr. Fu sighed.

"No, Kim." Dr. Fu went through his questions and picked one. "Alright. Marcy is late for school. She comes to class with a black eye and hides in her hair as she quietly sits down. Everyone has heard that she has a new boyfriend. Marcy says that he can be a bit much, but that it's okay because he says he loves her. You hear her say that all the time and you want to give her advice. What do you want to tell Marcy? Kim?"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HER!" Kim suddenly yelled out and Dr. Fu held up his hands.

"No one is accusing you." Dr. Fu backed up. "It was a random question, Kim."

"NO! THIS IS BULLSHIT! I DID NOTHING WRONG!" Kim stood up and kicked the chair away from the circle. He began to pace and panic, gripping his hair with his hands. "I SWEAR! I- I DIDN'T MEAN TO. I- I DIDN'T MEAN TO HUG HER SO TIGHT. DIDN'T MEAN TO PUNCH HER SO HARD. I- I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW, MAN!"

"It's all right, Kim. Why don't you grab your chair and…" Dr. Fu was interrupted by his screams and protests. He pushed a button on his radio and two orderlies came in to detain him.

They pulled down the side of his pants and knocked him out with a sedative.

"Thank you." Dr. Fu thanked his workers as they left the group with Kim between them. "Now, Max. How about you?"

He swallowed hard as he watched Kim be drug off. Numbers ran through his head as he began to make statistical equations up.

"There is 1 suicide for every 25 suicide attempts and 129 suicides per day." Max rattled off numbers and Dr. Fu skipped him.

"Juleka?" Dr. Fu stared at her and watched her try and piece words together.

Group therapy went on and felt like it lasted ages; before, they were dismissed.

Adrien lead Marinette back to the front desk. He grabbed a cigarette and placed it between his lips as he took the match. He walked Marinette to the porch.

Adrien leaned on the banister and lit the end of it. "You know… I didn't use to smoke these damned things." He blew out smoke and stared at Marinette. "Habit I picked up in here."

Marinette swallowed hard as she watched him breathe in the poison like it was air.

"Just one step closer to death, really." He chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. "Don't you think? It's ironic that they let you smoke these. That they even supply them."

Marinette got lost in the trees that were off in the distance.

She closed her eyes and let the breeze flow over her face. She nodded in response to him as he sat his cigarette up between his index finger and the wood. He flicked it off the banister from between his fingers.

He laughed as it landed in a bush, setting it on fire. "Look, look!"

Marinette opened her eyes to watch people run out to put the bush out.

"I love when that shit happens. Look at them freak out like ants that had their scent lines erased." Adrien laughed harder as he watched them down below. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled down at them. "BETTER HURRY UP!"

He watched them ignore him and Marinette peered over at Adrien and giggled.

Adrien smiled at her and touched her face with his hands. "There she is. You really should laugh more. It's beautiful." He captured her lips with his own as she gently touched his wrists with her hands.

"Adrien?" Nurse Bustier interrupted them. "Time for your second feeding."

Marinette grabbed his hand and followed them back to the room.

000

Marinette tossed and turned in her bed as she tried to relax. Adrien peered over at her from the novel that he was engrossed in. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head as she tried to not be distracted by him.

"Can you please talk to me? I promise I won't yell at you." Adrien sighed as she threw the blankets over her head.

Adrien got up from his bed, closing his book. He got in bed with her and she rolled away from him. "Okay, stop. You're being silly." He grabbed her and stilled her so that she couldn't get away. "Look at me, what's wrong?"

Marinette peered into his eyes and cried out of embarrassment. "Cramps."

Of all the words that he expected to hear from her mouth after so long… he didn't expect it to be that one. His name? Sure. To stop? Of course, but not that.

He stared at her with a blank gaze; before, he realized what was wrong with her. "Hang on." Adrien got up and left the room to grab Nurse Bustier.

Marinette curled into herself and shivered as the pain radiated around her hips and lower back.

Nurse Bustier came in with pain meds that would not affect her medications. She waited for Marinette to get up and headed for the door.

Adrien went to follow, but she stopped him from going. "Wait here." Nurse Bustier raised her hand and Adrien stopped in his tracks. "She'll be back."

Nurse Bustier lead her to the public bathrooms and showed her where all of the necessities were located at. Marinette showered and let her cheeks turn red from embarrassment as she realized what Adrien had to deal with. For some odd reason, having a period had slipped her mind.

She used what was provided for her and got dressed. Marinette swallowed hard as she walked back to her room, finding her bed made.

Marinette sat on the edge of her bed and swallowed hard, hiding in her hair. "Sorry."

Adrien sat beside her and brushed her hair out of her face. "Don't be sorry. Thank you for trusting me." He smiled at her and kissed her lips. "And for talking to me. Even if it was about your uterus."

"God…" Marinette hid more in her hair, wanting to kick herself.

Adrien burst out laughing and sighed as he peered into her eyes. "Part of being a woman. It's whatever. You think I don't want to complain about all the shit that I deal with being a guy?" Adrien laughed at himself and shook his head. "Guys have their own issues."

Marinette sighed as she leaned back on her palms. "So embarrassing."

"Why? It's part of life. Don't be afraid to tell me things. Seriously." Adrien smiled for her and captured her lips with his own. Adrien sighed and thought for a moment. "Would it help if I shared something guys have to deal with that I don't talk about?"

Marinette worried her bottom lip and thought for a moment.

"Look, it's only fair." Adrien shrugged as he thought for a moment. "Okay. Like getting hard. Getting hard is super annoying and it happens when it wants. I don't always control it." He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, it even happens for no damn reason at all. And don't get me started on the pain that comes with going through puberty."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Wait, guys go through pain too?"

"Yeah. Is that really that shocking? Growing pains suck." Adrien rubbed his eyes as he laid back on her bed.

Marinette ran her fingers up his stomach, pushing his shirt up. "Growing pains? Like... getting taller?"

A short laugh burst from his chest. "If only."

Marinette thought for a moment and realized what he meant. "Oh my god!" She threw her pillow at him.

Adrien burst out laughing and Marinette started to giggle. He grabbed the pillow and shoved it in her face, causing her to fall back onto the bed.

They laughed until they couldn't breathe. "I don't even know why that was funny." Adrien caught his breath. "It's not even funny. It sucks."

Marinette giggled at him longer and tried to control her breathing, gasping for air. "I can't…"

"You can't what? Laugh more? Because I bet you can." Adrien began to tickle her and she screamed and rolled away, laughing harder.

"I can't breathe…" Marinette gasped for air as she grabbed his wrists and fought against his onslaught.

Adrien laughed as she sat up and pinned him to the bed by his wrists, straddling his hips. "Well, you got me pinned. What are you gonna do with me?"

Marinette bit her bottom lip as her giggles calmed down. He burst out in a quiet laugh as she tried to not laugh. "Well, I'll just…" Adrien slipped his hands out from under hers and tickled her inner thighs, causing her to squeal and fall onto the bed.

"Wait, wait." Marinette gasped the words out as he began to tickle her sides until she couldn't breathe. She kicked and shoved him, grabbing his hands.

Adrien panted as he smirked with her on top of him again. Marinette got lost in his eyes. "You fuck me… we'll have to have the sheets changed again."

Marinette blushed at his words and smirked. She ran her hands down his chest, stopping at the band on his joggers. "They're gonna stain anyway." She captured his lips and ran her hand beneath the band.

"Shit." Adrien cursed against her kiss as she caressed along his length with her fingers.

000

Adrien wrapped his arms around her side and slid his hand down her arm and intertwined his fingers with hers along the sheets. "So, what happened at school that made you mute?"

Marinette worried her bottom lip as she thought about it. "What or who?"

"Both?" Adrien kissed along her shoulder as the moonlight filtered into their room.

"No one you would know." Marinette sighed as she zoned out.

"What did they do to you?" Adrien squeezed her hand tighter.

Marinette shook her head and he rolled her over onto her back. He peered down at her and brushed her hair out of her face. "You can tell me."

"It's a long story and my voice is tired." Marinette sighed and yawned behind her hand.

"Sounds like you're tired. Not just your voice." Adrien chuckled as he grabbed her tablet from a table. "Here."

Marinette took it and sighed as she opened the only app on there, which was an art one. She began to write with her finger for a while to the point that Adrien had started to fall asleep. She nudged him in the arm with the tablet, causing him to wake up.

Adrien cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay." Marinette snuggled beside him and hid her face in his chest as he began to read what she had written.

"I've always been different. Ever since I can remember. I've never fit in and I've never felt like I belonged. All throughout school I was bullied. Boys would try to protect me, but that didn't matter. It didn't keep the means girls from picking on me, mocking me, making fun of me. I got gum thrown in my hair and my mom spent hours trying to get it out. I was called names for how I dressed and how I wasn't very good at math. Being half asian has its stereotypes. I don't fit in most places. Other asian people will meet me and as soon as they find out I don't speak mandarin? They stop talking to me. I don't fit in anywhere. Everytime I opened my mouth, teachers would shut me down. Everytime I opened my mouth, I ruined friendships by saying something wrong. So, I stopped talking. It seemed easier. I started cutting in homeroom. I thought about how I had heard that it would help. So, I thought why not?" Adrien sighed as he became sad. He set the tablet down and peered at her. He watched tears fall from her sapphire eyes. Adrien worried his bottom lip and brushed them away. "Why not turned into how deep can I go, didn't it?"

Marinette just nodded. "I got addicted to seeing the blood. To feeling the pain. To feeling something. Addicted to the rush. I eventually cut deeper and deeper and it never felt like enough." She clenched her eyes tight and Adrien leaned over her to kiss her. "My skin vibrates and still begs for it." Her voice began to fade as she became worn out.

"I'm not much better than you." Adrien gave a short laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Wanna know my story? You've heard from Dr. Fu, but not from me."

Marinette nodded as she slowly felt herself fall asleep. Adrien chuckled at her and poked her in the cheek. "Should I tell you tomorrow?"

Marinette shook her head and peered up at him with a smile. "No, go ahead."

"When I was really little, my parents threw me into modeling. My mother thought it'd be this great idea to make kids clothes, during the time she was pregnant. So, by the time I got old enough… they began to put me into modeling. I think I was in a few commercials as a baby too. Anyway, as I grew older I started to do more and more photoshoots and fashion shows. Mostly, for my parent's brand." Adrien sighed as he played with Marinette's dress. "As I got older… my father started to check my weight and muscle mass. He hired a personal chef that kept track of calories I took in and made sure to cook me specific foods. My mother eventually got sick. There was nothing that we could do. It was incurable and the only thing we could do… was watch her enjoy what was left of her life. She soon passed away before Christmas and my father was broken." Adrien swallowed hard as he tried to fight back tears.

Marinette touched his cheek and Adrien clenched his eyes shut, causing tears to fall. She wiped them away and smiled at him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"He began to regulate what I ate. To measure my BMI all the time. But no matter how much I lost or gained, it wasn't enough. I began to pretend to eat my meals. I hid them in glass jars under my bed. Every so often I'd sneak them into my backpack and throw them away on the way to school. I began to stop sleeping because I was counting calories in my head. It kept me up at night and made it hard to sleep. I stopped feeling when I'd try to talk to my father and all he would do was lecture me or talk about his next design line. I realized I wasn't enough." Adrien sniffed and rolled his eyes at himself. "I went to my room and pulled out scissors from my desk and decided, like you, why not? So, I made my first cut along my inner thigh where no one would see it. With modeling, I had to be strategic. I began to cut where no one could see. Until, the day my father hit me." Adrien swallowed hard as he tried to not think about it. Tried to not let it get to him.

Marinette clung to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wouldn't let him go and he sighed as he held her in return. "My father was mad because I had screwed up a massive photoshoot. I had argued with him and the photographer. I refused some of the clothing and poses. It didn't go over well when my father found out. I came home to him waiting for me on the stairs. He had his belt in his hand and I knew it was for me. I had been too much. I had gone too far. I knew I deserved it. I didn't even cry when he took me into his room and asked me to take off my shirt." Adrien swallowed hard and felt Marinette hold onto him tighter.

"Didn't even scream when that belt hit my spine. I just grit my teeth and took it. By the time I got to my room… I was furious. Broken and furious. I tore my room apart and punched holes in my wall. My back was bruised and bleeding. That's how Nathalie found me. I scared her. I didn't care anymore. I slit my arms open." Adrien turned one of his arms around and Marinette saw scars running down it. She lifted his shirt and ran her fingers along his side, feeling raised skin.

Adrien rolled onto his back as she began to push up the legs of his joggers to find more scars. She crawled back up to his head and pushed his joggers down his hips and ran her fingers along his hip bone, where lines of raised skin sat. She ran her fingers down his inner thighs, finding millions more.

"I didn't stop. It was never enough. When I shoved the pills down my throat, I panicked. I made myself throw up and I hit my head on the toilet, causing more blood. I was so happy that I was dying." Adrien sighed as she continued to explore his body with a trembling hand, discovering new scars and new wounds.

"You still cut?" Marinette's eyes went wide as she noticed a new one on his inner thigh.

"When you sleep. I don't. So…" Adrien moved her hand and pulled his joggers up. He got up and walked over to grab a book from his shelf, bringing it over. Adrien sat back on the bed and opened it to the middle page, revealing that it was hiding a flat piece of broken metal. "Broke it off the bottom of an old table in the common area." It had a jagged edge and wasn't the safest piece of metal to self- harm with. "It's shitty, but does the job."

Marinette touched it and felt it's rough texture. It was an infection waiting to happen. She worried her bottom lip and raised her dress. Marinette put the metal piece in his hand and wrapped her fingers around his, pressing the edge to the soft skin of her inner thigh.

Adrien's eyes widened as she touched his cheek and captured his lips, guiding his hand to slide it along her sensitive skin. She held her breath and let out a trembling moan as euphoria hit. The pain was welcoming and made her head spin. Her heart raced as a deep throbbing set in along the cut.

Adrien sighed as she pulled his hand away from her thigh. She broke the kiss and Adrien touched beside the wound that they had made.

Blood seeped from the wound and he bent down to slowly lick along it. It stung and Marinette hissed as he wrapped his lips around it and sucked to stop the bleeding.

She tilted her head back and moaned as he ran his tongue along her inner thigh. He crawled back up her body and put the sharp metal piece away. "You hide a lot of things. And you're good at it."

"Years of practice." Adrien chuckled as he put the book back on his shelf. "My father would go through my room on a regular basis."

Marinette nodded with a warm smile as she examined the wound. It seeped more blood and Adrien ran his thumb along it, wiping it away.

Marinette took his hand and brought his thumb to her lips, licking it off. He parted his lips and smirked, touching her chin with his thumb and index finger after she had let his hand go. Adrien ran his thumb along her bottom lip and leaned in to capture her lips with his own.

She sighed as he leaned her back against the bed. Adrien crawled between her legs and ran his hand up her thigh as he ran his tongue along hers. He brushed his soft lips against hers, causing her to softly moan.

"We should stop." Adrien broke the kiss to softly speak against her lips.

Marinette gripped his shirt and rested her forehead against his. "What if I can't?" She slowly opened her eyes to peer into his love filled ones.

"Then don't." Adrien captured her lips again and she wrapped her arms around his neck.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette sat in Dr. Fu's office drawing herself as she usually did, but this time it was a drawing of her in a dress with flowers around her. There were minimal words of self loathing and when she passed it back to him, words failed him.

"What changed?" Dr. Fu peered at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Adrien." Marinette smiled as she quietly spoke his name.

"Are you ready to talk?" Dr. Fu was shocked to hear something come out of her mouth.

Marinette shook her head and blushed as she hid in her hair.

"Are you ready to talk about Adrien?" Dr. Fu smiled at her and watched her weight the question in her mind. "I'd be fine with that."

"When will he be out of here?" Marinette worried her bottom lip.

"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that you are well on your way home." Dr. Fu smiled at her as he made a note in her chart. "When did you start speaking?"

Marinette sighed and peered at a tissue box that was sitting on a table. She shrugged, not wanting to answer the question.

"I'm going to assume that you did months ago with Adrien." Dr. Fu made a note in her chart. "We haven't seen an outburst from him in a while. He is also eating more and scheduled to have his G-tube removed tonight. So, let's assume that he will be released eventually once he is where we want him, weight wise."

"Can you not release me before him, please?" Marinette swallowed hard as she peered into his kind eyes.

"We'll see. If you can keep him stable or get him to be stable? I don't see why you can't be discharged at the same time." Dr. Fu closed her chart and smiled at her. "But you have to talk about what happened at some point with me."

Marinette nodded and stood up. Nurse Bustier opened the door and walked her back to the common area.

Adrien was busy laughing on the smoking porch with Nino when she showed back up. It was Nino's last day and he was having one last cigarette with Adrien before he left.

"Hey." Adrien smirked at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the head.

"Hey." Marinette smiled up at him and Nino's eyes went wide.

"She's talking?" Nino was shocked as he stubbed out his cigarette, flicking it one more time out into the bushes below.

"Sometimes." Adrien smiled at her and nudged her with his shoulder.

"Thank you, Nino. For everything." Marinette hugged Nino, shocking him.

"You're welcome. I don't know what I did, but you're welcome." Nino was suddenly knocked over by a sad Alya.

Marinette giggled at them and Alya peered at her wide eyed. "You giggled!"

"She does that." Adrien rolled his eyes and Marinette pouted up at him. "What? You do."

"She also talks now." Nino burst out the words, shocking Alya.

"WHAT?" Alya stared at Marinette and walked up to her.

"Not much." Adrien crossed his arms and Marinette pushed him.

"Hi, Als." Marinette smiled and Alya suddenly embraced her, nearly knocking Adrien over.

"God." Adrien moved out of the way with a laugh. "I see I'm not wanted." He raised his hands into the air, causing Marinette to roll her eyes.

Alya let her go with a smug expression and Marinette walked up to Adrien, grabbing the front of his shirt. She pulled him down to her level. His eyes widened as she brought her lips close to his. His breathing picked up as she peered at him through her dark lashes. "You know you're always wanted." She flicked his top lip with the tip of her tongue and he groaned. She giggled and pushed him away.

"You're a bad girl." Adrien grabbed her hips and yanked her against him, causing her to feel his arousal against her.

She gasped as he spun them to press her against the banister. She giggled and bit her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around his neck and peered up at him.

"Adrien? Are you ready to get your G-tube removed?" Nurse Bustier interrupted them.

"Yeah." Adrien spoke as he peered down at Marinette with lust filled eyes.

Marinette became sad and worried as she played with his shirt. She raised up on her toes to press her lips to his.

"I'll see you after." Adrien smiled as he let her go and she grabbed his hand.

"Can I go too?" Marinette peered over at Nurse Bustier.

"You don't want to see that." Adrien swallowed hard and watched Marinette shake her head.

"I won't leave you." Marinette was adamant that she was going to be there.

"She can go." Nurse Busier lead them back to their room.

Adrien walked into the room with Marinette and laid down on his bed.

Marinette watched her leave to grab what she needed. Once the door closed, Marinette stared at him. "Are you scared?"

"No. I want the damn thing out. I'm sick of it." Adrien sighed as he pulled his shirt up and messed with the G-tube. "This thing has been annoying me for months."

"I'm sorry that they did that to you." Marinette sighed as she looked at it.

"I get it. I don't have to like it, but I get it." Adrien rolled his eyes as Nurse Bustier came back in with a medical cart.

"This won't take long." Nurse Bustier smiled at him as she picked up a slip-tip syringe.

Marinette took Adrien's hand and stared into his eyes. She smiled at him and he focused on her. Marinette rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb.

Nurse Bustier stuck the syringe into the hard plastic port and pulled back on the plunger to withdraw the water from the balloon. "After this, you should feel a lot better. More free." She smiled at him and he nodded, glancing over at what she was doing. He watched the fluid fill the syringe and swallowed hard, looking back at Marinette.

Nurse Bustier set the syringe on the medical cart and went back to him. "You might feel slight discomfort." She smiled at him and Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand harder as Nurse Bustier pulled the tube out with a some effort.

Adrien cringed and tried to even his breathing as she pulled it out. She cleaned the area and applied a zinc oxide barrier cream around the area.

"Almost done." Nurse Bustier smiled as she placed a gauze dressing over the stoma. "It will leak some, but it should start to heal in a few hours. Until then, I want you to get some rest." She pat his leg as she put everything back on the medical cart and left. "Here's more gauze. I want you to change it whenever it gets soaked or daily for the next few weeks. It should stop leaking before then and scab over. When that happens, you don't need to dress it anymore. Showers only and daily. Don't scrub the wound." Nurse Bustier instructed him and passed him a hand full of bandages. "I would do it for you, but I have too many guests to see at the moment. I trust Marinette to keep you on your toes. We don't want an infection." Nurse Bustier winked at them and Marinette giggled at his groaning.

"Oh, one more thing." Nurse Bustier stopped at their door and peered back at them. "You can eat and drink normally and if you see some of it appear on the dressing? That's normal."

"Thank you, Ms. Bustier." Adrien smiled at her and she nodded as she left them alone.

Marinette ran her fingers around the taped gauze. "You okay?"

Adrien sighed as he peered down at it. "That wasn't the most fun thing in the world, but I'm glad the damn thing is gone."


	10. Chapter 10

Adrien sat in Dr. Fu's office and picked at his thumb nail, finding something else to focus on. Anything else to focus on, but Dr. Fu's words. Anything else than having to face reality. He would be happier just living with Marinette and hearing her beautiful voice.

Plagg spiraled around him as he heard his father's name on Dr. Fu's lips. Adrien leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, watching Plagg spin.

"Are we going to respond to him today? You don't want to let Marinette down do you? Leave her behind?" Plagg snickered as he swirled around Dr. Fu and back around Adrien. "Is that your great plan? To be left behind by Marinette?"

Adrien shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He tried to push his thoughts away, but it wasn't working out.

"You know everyone knows what you're thinking? They all know what you're doing right now. They can hear your thoughts." Plagg smiled as he laid back along Adrien's lap, peering up at him. "They know your every move. Dr. Fu does. So predictable."

_Shut up, Plagg!_ Adrien yelled at the creature in his mind as his knuckles turned white.

"Adrien?" Dr. Fu posed the question again, grasping at anything to grab on to. "If you don't talk then you'll never get better. You were pretty open with me before. What changed?"

Adrien cleared his throat and shook his head, causing Plagg to disappear. "Sorry. What were you asking?"

"Would you be stable enough to meet your father today? It's been a while since you saw him." Dr. Fu smiled for him and Adrien sighed.

"If you want to see me back in restraints… go ahead." Adrien crossed his arms across his chest.

"Son, if you end up in restraints again… you won't be going home with Marinette." Dr. Fu threatened him and Adrien sat up straight.

"Sorry." Adrien hid in his hair. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll behave." Plagg reappeared and slithered around his neck, choking him. Adrien fought against the tears as he felt them burn his eyes and make his throat swell.

"Would it help if Marinette was there?" Dr. Fu tested out his theory that he would be stronger with her there.

Adrien took in a shaky breath. "No, I don't want her to deal with him."

"Okay. Your father's assistant should be here within the next few hours." Dr. Fu closed his file and let Nurse Bustier escort him from his office.

Adrien walked down the hallway with her. He didn't want Marinette to deal with his father anymore. Didn't want to see her stripped down and measured again. A shiver ran through him as they reached their bedroom again.

"I'll come back when she shows up, okay?" Nurse Bustier tried to smile for him and he nodded without looking at her.

Adrien walked back into the room to see Marinette sitting on her bed, drawing. He sat down beside her and leaned his head on her shoulder. "What are you drawing?"

"This outfit that I thought would look good on you. I hope that when we get out of here… I can make it for you." Marinette smiled over at him as she showed it to him. "What do you think?"

Adrien stared at the drawing and focused on the ensemble. It was all black. He looked over the bomber jacket, how the base was leather and the sleeves were made of satin. His eyes scanned down from the black deep v-neck tee to the black belt that had a steel buckle. He took in the black skinny jeans with textured ridges along the knees and finally his eyes fell to the combat boots.

"It's edgy. I like it." Adrien smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Do you really or are you just saying that?" Marinette rolled her eyes and peered at him.

"I mean it." Adrien set her sketchbook down by his hips and touched her chin, capturing her lips with his own.

A knock sounded on their door and Nurse Bustier walked in. "She's here, Adrien."

"Thanks." Adrien stood up and Marinette grabbed his wrist.

"Who's here?" Her expression was concerned for him and he smiled for her.

"Nathalie." Adrien let his hand fall into hers and kissed along her knuckles. "I'll be back. Promise."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Marinette peered at him with a worried expression.

"No. I don't want him to do what he did last time." Adrien shook his head.

Marinette nodded as she became worried about him. Adrien walked out of the room and down to the visiting area. His heart beat fast in his chest as he tried to prepare himself.

Nurse Bustier opened the door and let him inside. Adrien peered up to see Nathalie without her tablet. His eyes grew wide as he searched around for it, along with his father, finding both of them to be non-existent.

"He's not with me today. I came here to talk to you alone." Nathalie smiled at Adrien.

Adrien sat down as shock set into the pit of his stomach. "Why?"

"I'm worried about you and I know your father can be difficult." Nathalie sighed as she touched the table. "I wanted to listen to you. I know I found you in a not so good situation. I want to understand why."

Adrien ran his hand through his hair. "You know why."

"I know why your father believes you to be here. That it's a phase and you're just acting out to get attention, but I want to know Adrien's reason. Not Gabriel's." Nathalie leaned towards him from across the table.

"I lost my mother at an age when I really needed her. My father lost his shit. He beat me. Put me on a diet and threw me into as many extracurricular activities he could. Anything to make me not be around him because my _face_ reminds him of my mother. Hell, even my personality does." Adrien crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not stupid. I know this; yet, I still bend over backwards for the man."

"Don't we all…" Nathalie sighed under her breath as she sat back in her seat. "So, you wanted a way out?"

"Seems logical doesn't it?" Adrien spoke with his hand and Nathalie nodded. "Wouldn't you escape his talons if you could?"

"Well, I don't think this is just some phase. I understand why you did what you did. I don't approve of it and I'm worried about you, but I get it." Nathalie sighed as she focused on him.

"You can be worried all you want. You can watch it all you want. But you can't truly understand… until you've been in my shoes. And so far? You've only been my father's bitch." Adrien pushed himself away from the table and stood up from his chair. "When I get out of here? I'm breaking all contracts and living on my own. It was nice seeing you, Nathalie."

Nurse Bustier opened the door and Adrien walked out, leaving a stunned woman sitting in her seat with no words to say.

Adrien walked down the hallway to the common area and out to the porch. He picked up a random rock that was sitting on the banister and threw it over the edge. It landed in a bush and Marinette walked up behind him.

"You okay?" Marinette kissed along his shoulder blade.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Adrien cleared his throat and turned to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

Nurse Bustier's voice echoed from the distance and caught their ears.

"And this is our common area." Nurse Bustier lead two new girls around the room. "All of our guests hang out here between their therapy sessions."

Marinette and Adrien peered over to see a girl with blonde hair beside a girl with red hair and glasses.

"Great..." Adrien sighed as he peered at the two girls.

"Now, I'll show you to your rooms." Nurse Bustier smiled as she lead them away.

"What is it?" Marinette peered up at him and he clenched his teeth.

"I know the blonde one. Her name's Chloe and she's a pain in the ass." Adrien rolled his eyes and leaned back on the banister, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What? Why?" Marinette was confused as she was suddenly yanked back to their room.

Adrien shut the door and pushed her onto the bed to sit down with him. She parted her lips and stared at him with a perplexed expression.

"Her father has a deal with mine. He probably had her admitted to watch me." Adrien whispered and Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"What deal?" Marinette got hung up on that fact.

"A deal that I model with her when asked. We've had that since we were little. She's clingy though. She's been saying she was going to be my wife since we were little kids." Adrien rubbed his eyes as frustration set in. "I now want out of here faster than ever."

"You'll get out soon. We will." Marinette cuddled his arm and kissed his bicep.

"Not fast enough." Adrien sighed as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

"Tell me more about her." Marinette laid back with him and ran circles along his chest with her fingertip.

"Her father runs the city and her mother is a famous model. She's full of herself and gets whatever she wants with ease. She blackmails her father and is used by her mother. It's really not surprising that she is in here." Adrien rolled his eyes. "I don't know the girl that's with her."

"So, your father thought that you should have a deal with this girl?" Marinette peered up at him.

"Yeah. When we were kids… he felt like it'd help his brand. Her mother jump started it and caused it to blow up. Without her, my father wouldn't be where he's at." Adrien sighed and put a hand behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"This all sounds so complicated." Marinette groaned as she peered at the ceiling too.

"It is." Adrien chuckled as he drew one of his knees up. "It's never easy. I just want to break all of my contracts."

"All of them? More than one?" Marinette's eyes grew wide.

"I don't just have contracts with my father's brand… I have them with others too." Adrien sighed and grabbed her hip, pulling her closer.

"That's a lot." Marinette's eyes widened and he chuckled.

"I have contracts from when I was an infant. The stack has to be massive now." Adrien shook his head at how ridiculous it was.

"I'm sorry." Marinette pressed her lips together.

"It's not your fault." Adrien smiled and stole a kiss from her. "It's my life. I just need to take control of it for once."

Marinette nodded as she grabbed her sketchbook and began to draw.

Adrien got up to grab a novel from his shelf. He laid back down and opened it up.

She set her sketchbook down and put her head on his shoulder. "Can you read to me?" She wrapped her arm across his chest and he kissed her on the top of her head.

"Of course. I'll start from the first page." Adrien smiled and opened it to page one.

Marinette sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his chest as Adrien wrapped an arm around her, holding the book open with his other hand.

"Okay." Adrien settled in and got comfortable as he began to read in a soft voice. His voice calmed her nerves and made her transcend to a better place. A place with less turmoil and pain. "The house sat in the middle of a forest. Dew coated vines climbed up the side with blooming violet hued flowers. She had never felt the sun on her skin. Had never been outside of the stark walls, but she dreamed that one day she would. That one day she would feel the grass beneath her toes and feel the warmth of the sun on her rosy cheeks." Adrien licked his lips as he continued to read.

Marinette yawned and peered up to kiss him. Adrien smirked and leaned down to capture her lips; before, he began to read again. "She had been locked up by King Aregan. He thought she was too beautiful to be set free. So he kept her caged in his home. The only time she got to escape was when she read books and she read plenty." Adrien turned the page and Marinette pushed the book down onto his chest.

"Is that how you felt? Caged?" Marinette stared at him with a concerned expression.

"Always. I do now." Adrien sighed as he tried to smile for her.

"I'm sorry." Marinette swallowed hard.

"It's not your fault. One day I'll be free and so will you." Adrien shrugged and picked the book back up. He continued to read the story to her until her breathing steadied to a slow pace. "You missed the best part, Princess." Adrien whispered with a warm smile. "The Prince is about to set her free."


	11. Chapter 11

**Note: Thank you to Zebralord23 for proofreading and helping me on the Magic part of this chapter. :) I also ended up using my deck for this. haha**

Marinette and Adrien sat in group therapy as Dr. Fu ran it. He peered around the crowd and flipped through his notes. "How about we start with Chloe?" He looked up at her and smiled.

"There's nothing really to say about me. I was just looking for something to do. Daddy is getting a big amount of money for this publicity stunt." Chloe waved her hand as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but did that publicity stunt involve you stealing thousands of euros worth of accessories and clothing?" Dr. Fu looked over his notes.

"It did, yes. All part of daddy's plan." Chloe shrugged and Adrien groaned and shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have something to say, Adrikins?"

Adrien scowled at her and opened his mouth to speak. "You're seriously back to obsessively stealing things? Your father gives you an allowance that far exceeds normal people your age. Why do you need to steal?"

"You of all people know the answer to that! You should understand!" Chloe burst into tears that seemed to spring from nowhere.

"I don't need money to try and replace or impress my mother!" Adrien burst out at her and she cried harder.

"AT LEAST MY MOTHER ISN'T DEAD!" Chloe screamed and Adrien's face became red with anger.

"Might as well be!" Adrien threw his hands up into the air and then pointed at her. "When's the last time she even fucking talked to your ass? Oh sorry. She doesn't even have time for you!"

Chloe stood up and kicked her chair behind her. "Do you really want to do this right now?" She walked over to him and Dr. Fu raised his hand.

"Stop. Sit down. Let's all take deep calming breaths." Dr. Fu tried to solve the argument, but it wasn't working.

Marinette watched with wide eyes as Chloe brought her face close to Adrien's. Marinette stood up and pushed her away from him with her head down. Adrien flashed her a look of shock.

"Stop. I won't have you keeping my boyfriend from going home with me." Marinette quietly spoke and Chloe backed up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me, your who?" Chloe clicked her tongue as she tapped her foot.

"Chloe, stop." Adrien sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"No, no I wanna know who this girl thinks she is." Chloe snorted and Marinette swallowed hard.

"Adrien's my boyfriend and I really would like for him to come home with me and not be stuck here. Especially, with a girl like you." Marinette spoke a little louder.

"Is this true, Adrikins? This scrawny bitch thinks she's worthy of you?" Chloe pointed at the short girl with her thumb.

"She's my girlfriend, Chlo. Can you please just sit now? I'm done fighting." Adrien ran his hand through his hair. "And you're causing a scene." He gestured to all of the other patients with their mouths open.

Chloe peered around them and blushed, sitting down with a audible humph.

Marinette sat down and intertwined her fingers with his. Adrien lifted their hands to press a kiss against the back of Marinette's hand, causing Chloe to look away from them.

Adrien tried to not notice how Chloe's eyes turned red or how they sparkled under the fluorescent lights.

"Alright, I think we've had enough for today. I'll see each of you in individual therapy." Dr. Fu rubbed his eyes and heard them all leave.

Nurse Bustier walked up to him with a clipboard in her arms. "Exhausted?"

"Why did I think this was a good idea?" Dr. Fu sighed as he peered up at Bustier.

"Well, her father does have a massive say in what happens within this city. It'd be hard to say no." Nurse Bustier sighed as she sat down beside Dr. Fu.

"Maybe you were right. I need to go back to how I wanted to run things and not how the book tells me." Dr. Fu closed the file in his hands and stood up.

"You could always try." Nurse Bustier smiled at him as she walked away.

Adrien stood on the smoking porch with Marinette. "I miss Nino. I won't lie." He blew out smoke and Marinette worried her bottom lip.

"What were you talking about with Chloe?" Marinette peered over at him with her arms resting on the banister.

"Long story." Adrien sighed and flipped his cigarette between his fingers, catching the searing end on his fingers and not caring.

"I have time." Marinette stole his cigarette and put it between her lips, shocking him. She blew out smoke with a smirk and passed it back.

Adrien warmly smiled at her. "I love you."

Her eyes went wide and she choked on the smoke. "What?"

"I love you more than anything in this universe." Adrien smiled at her and touched her chin. He leaned in closer and brushed his lips against hers.

"I- I lo- love you too." Marinette stuttered against his lips as he pulled away.

"Chloe's mother is always busy. She's never home and forgets her birthday often. Her father is also pretty busy. Since she was a kid, she would steal from shops to gain attention." Adrien waved his hand around. "This is also an attention grabber for her. She won't admit it, but…" Adrien rolled his eyes and put his cigarette between his lips. "I know it. I've seen her do it enough to know it all too well."

"Must be hard to not have a mother." Marinette wrapped her arms around his bicep and nuzzled her cheek against it.

"It's been… seven years since mother passed away." Adrien counted back from then to when she had passed. "It's mostly hard during the holidays and birthdays."

"I could imagine. Holidays and birthdays are a big deal." Marinette pressed a soft kiss to his skin. "What was it like? Growing up without her?"

"Hard. I couldn't talk to father and when I had questions? I had no one to ask." Adrien shrugged and slumped on the banister.

"What kind of questions?" Marinette peered at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, did you ask your mother about puberty or sex? I had no one to answer those questions for me. I had to turn to movies and books. Search the internet for answers." Adrien sighed and Marinette cringed.

"Well, I didn't exactly ask my mom any of those questions. School taught me a lot. Sometimes my parents would talk to me about various things." Marinette shrugged. "But I learned a lot more from romance novels."

"But could you have asked her if you wanted to?" Adrien peered at her with a curious expression.

"I guess so. Yeah. She always would say that if I ever needed anything or had any questions? I could always come to her." Marinette worried her bottom lip.

"I didn't have that." Adrien flicked his cigarette off the banister.

"Your father really couldn't answer… nevermind." Marinette took in the 'are you serious' expression that was plastered on his face. "I get it."

Adrien snorted and shook his head. "The bastard barely answers his damn phone."

Marinette nodded and pulled him back to the common area. "Let's play a board game."

"A board game?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her.

"Card game? Magic?" Marinette searched the shelves for the game.

Adrien sat at a table with her as she grabbed a box of cards and two twenty sided dice. "I call blue."

"Whatever you want. I always pick black." Marinette winked at him and he shook his head.

"What? I love the creatures in it. My favorite cards are _Sengir Vampire _and _Child of Night_. Oh! And _Black Cat_. It's not a very good card, but it's cute." Marinette giggled and Adrien smiled at her.

"Of course you love the _Black Cat._" Adrien laughed as he watched her blush.

She opened the box and they began to go through and grab land, creatures, artifacts, instants, enchantments, and sorcery cards. They made their decks until they had sixty cards each.

"Alright, ready?" Adrien shuffled his cards and Marinette nodded as she did the same.

They each grabbed seven cards and looked them over.

"You first." Marinette gestured to Adrien.

"Ladies first." Adrien gestured back and she set a land down; before, she drew a card from her library.

"Go." Marinette pushed her cards into an organized pile in her hands and watched him place land down and draw.

He tapped his land and put a creature into the battlefield that cost one land. It didn't do much damage, but it did some none-the-less.

Marinette placed another land down and tapped both lands to put a _Child of Night_ into the battlefield. She drew a card and Adrien waited for her to be done.

He put a land down, tapped three of them, and placed down a stronger creature.

"Do you attack?" Marinette licked her lips.

"Why not." Adrien pushed his first creature forward.

Marinette blocked with her own, causing it to die. "We both die."

Adrien and Marinette put their creatures into their graveyards.

"What was the point in sacrificing that?" Marinette raised an eyebrow at him as she took her turn.

"Well, I mean now it's one against none." Adrien laughed and Marinette smirked as she placed another land down, tapped them, and put another _Child of Night _out.

They continued to play when Marinette suddenly threw a _Nightmare_ down onto the battlefield. Adrien began to mentally count her land after briefly looking over her card.

"It has flying and it's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Swamps I control. So, it's an 8/8 right now." Marinette drew cards to replace the ones she put down.

"Damn." He watched her rip a piece of paper to write the number down on. She placed the small paper on the card to keep track of its power and toughness. Adrien went back to sorting through his cards.

The game went on until Marinette won by pushing a 10/10 _Nightmare,_ two _Child of Nights,_ a _Nighthowler,_ and a 6/6 _Sengrid Vampire_ at him. He successfully blocked two of them. "I give up. You win." Adrien bowed down to her with his hands on the table. "I bow to the queen."

Marinette giggled as she gathered her hand, library, and graveyard, stacking them back together. "Wanna play again or are you done?"

"I'm done. I'd rather play with my opponent." Adrien leaned forward and whispered.

Marinette blushed as she watched him laugh. Her heart rushed and pounded against her chest. She got lost in his emerald eyes that were encircled with purple. "I-"

"Hi." Chloe slammed her palm down between them and smiled at Adrien. "Wanna come smoke with me out on the porch?"

"I already did." Adrien peered up at her with an unamused expression.

"Well, smoke again." Chloe smirked at him and he sighed.

Marinette put the cards back in the box and stood up to put it back on the shelf.

"Why don't you have Sabrina smoke with you? I'm sure she'd love to." Adrien crossed his arms and stared at her.

"She's not you." Chloe spoke with more honesty than Adrien had heard from her in a long time.

Marinette touched his shoulder. "Go with her. I can go talk to Alya."

Adrien peered at her with a shocked expression. "I can go too."

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Talk to her."

Adrien sighed and gave up. "Alright, let's go."

Adrien walked with Chloe to the front desk to grab cigarettes from the nurse. They took matches and walked back to the smoking porch.

Adrien sighed as he leaned his back against the railing and held his hand in the way of the wind as he struck the match and lit the end of his cancer stick.

Chloe struck her match and lit her cigarette. "What do you have against me?"

"Did my father send you here?" Adrien blew smoke into the air.

"No, what? What are you even talking about? I got in here because it was court ordered." Chloe scoffed and rolled her eyes as she poked at him with her middle finger. The cigarette smoldered between her fingers and he waved the smoke from his face. "You're not special enough for that type of treatment."

Adrien scoffed at her. "Says the girl that bad mouthed my girlfriend. Chloe, we're twenty. Not thirteen."

Chloe took a long drag on her cigarette. "And you still have daddy issues. It's good to see that you've gained some weight."

"Thanks." Adrien sighed as she looked him over. "Will you stop staring at me like I'm a piece of meat?"

"You're a gorgeous man. What do you want from me? You of all people should be used to that." Chloe rolled her eyes and stubbed out her cigarette. "Sabrina is a great friend, but she doesn't have the history that we do."

"I don't seem to care." Adrien rolled his eyes and threw his cigarette.

"You seriously are going to look past everything that we've been through?" Chloe was irritated by his ignorance.

"Just because I don't want to talk about it or think about it… Does not mean that I don't remember it." Adrien walked away from her and towards Alya and Marinette.

Alya yelled out as she won at poker. "Guess who's getting all your desserts!"

Everyone groaned as she pulled all of the papers towards herself.

Marinette giggled at her friend and peered up to see Adrien. She got up from the table and walked up to him. "Are you okay?" She smiled up at him and he took her hand and lead her back to their room.

"I just want to lay down and kiss you." Adrien shut their door and lead her to his bed.

"What's wrong?" Marinette searched his eyes as he laid down with her.

"I just want to forget about Chloe right now." Adrien sighed as Plagg circled them.

"I don't think kissing me will make you forge-" Marinette was interrupted by Adrien's lips on hers as he held his weight up with his forearms above her.

He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and as she parted her lips, he dipped his tongue between them. She closed her eyes with a sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck. Adrien broke the kiss and smirked at her. "Already forgot." He captured her lips again and she got lost in him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Note: ****Some of you may or may not know... but I stopped writing fanfics due to personal reasons. I needed to focus more on my family and writing original novels. Anyways, this story means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to you all. I felt bad about leaving this story hanging when it means so much to not just myself, but to everyone else too. So, I am here to finish this out. I have been getting so many comments on how everyone wants an update on it or asking me to please keep writing it. So, I binged the story in a day and began writing it again. I also caught so so many grammar and spelling mistakes throughout it and I realize I did a poor job editing. I apologize for that. Anyways, I am here to keep writing this thing. haha I hope you all continue to enjoy it. Thank you so much for the support and for the love. Thank you for sharing your stories with me and know that everything will be okay and get better. 'It can't rain all the time.' :)**

Adrien stood on the smoking porch with Marinette beside him. He focused on making smoke rings, entrancing Marinette with them. She watched how they slowly floated up towards the sky in neat hoops. Some were bigger than others. Adrien laughed as she tried to stick her finger through some of them.

"How do you do that?" Marinette peered at him and leaned against the banister as he did it again.

"You have to have your mouth in the right position." Adrien shrugged and she looked at him with even more curiosity as he breathed in smoke and held it in his mouth. He made his lips into an 'O' shape and quietly coughed to push smoke out into rings.

Marinette watched as perfect rings flew up into the air and then her gaze fell back onto Adrien as he released the rest of the smoke from his mouth.

He held his cigarette out to her and she reached out to take it. "I don't think I can do it." She awkwardly giggled as she dropped her hand.

"Try." Adrien shook the cigarette at her and she gave him a look of playful annoyance.

"Fine." Marinette reached for his cigarette again when they were interrupted by a shrill voice.

"You know, Prince Ali, has a television three times the size of that one. And he is supposed to fly out and be with me soon. I won't be here for long." A girl with auburn hair in a loose hairstyle with white tips walked around the common room with Ms. Bustier. "I love your outfit!" She smiled at Rose and pointed at her pink dress.

"Thank you!" Rose smiled and got super flattered by the girl's compliment.

"Anyway, Prince Ali will be expecting me in due time! Oh… who is that?" Lila walked out to the smoking porch and swayed her hips as she walked up to Adrien, who backed up against the banister, clutching it in his hands. She smirked and walked her fingers up his chest, plucking the cigarette from his lips. "Mind if I smoke?" Lila put it between her lips and stole a drag from it. She slowly blew it out into perfect rings and Adrien blushed and swallowed hard as she placed it back between his parted lips.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. "And who are you?" Marinette glared at her as Adrien resumed his relaxed state.

Lila walked over to her and got up in her space, looking her up and down. "Lila Rossi. Actress. I am pretty well known. You've probably seen me in films. I'm in over a hundred. I get to travel the world and I know Prince Ali. Don't you know? Oh wait…" Lila leaned in close and whispered into her ear. "You don't because you are plain and pathetic and no one likes you. I bet that hot guy on the porch doesn't even like you. I bet to him? You're a very good friend. Who am I kidding? You're so dumb that I doubt you even realize that. I thought asians were supposed to be smart. Guess I was wrong." Lila softly giggled as she pulled away from her with a smile on her face. "Isn't this porch just so _CUTE_? I'll have to tell the Prince all about it when I see him." Lila walked away and smiled over at Juleka. She fawned over her nail polish as Marinette walked closer to Adrien.

"What did she tell you?" Adrien watched the girl make her rounds, flirting with all of the other patients.

Marinette shook her head as Tikki swirled around her body, slowly grinning with sharp teeth.

"You are plain and pathetic. No one likes you. Adrien is just pretending to like you. He thinks you're just a good friend." Tikki sneered as she swirled around Adrien and covered him in red smoke.

Marinette's eyes widened as she got lost in Tikki's voice. _Just a friend… pathetic… plain… He doesn't really love you… No one likes you… They're all pretending… lies… lies… lies…_

Adrien watched her hands clench into fists and tremble. He looked her over and saw her whole body begin to shake. She was staring blankly at him as if she was looking through him.

"Marinette?" Adrien swallowed hard as he grabbed her upper arms to try and grab her attention. "What happened?"

She blinked as tears burned the edges of her eyes and he watched her begin to fall apart.

"Talk to me." Adrien peered around him to see if anyone noticed. She had been doing so well and now she was back inside herself again. "Shit. Okay." He went to pick her up and she pushed him away and shook her head.

Marinette continued to shake her head and gasp as she began to cry. Adrien began to panic that she would draw attention. He grabbed her hand in his and touched her chin with the other, bringing her gaze up to his. "I need you to focus for me, baby. If I don't get you to our room and they see you like this? You know what happens."

"Pathetic, stupid girl." Tikki hissed as she placed her clawed hands over Marinette's mouth. "You live in a fairytale land. When are you going to wake up to reality, hm? HE DOESN'T WANT YOU! Look at him. Look how he stares at your like you're pathetic and WORTHLESS!"

Marinette shook and began to scream. Adrien flung his hand over her mouth and pulled her away from the doorframe. He held her against his body and let her fall apart. Adrien sank down to the ground and shushed her as he rocked her.

"Marinette." Adrien whispered into her ear, trying to calm the storm that was raging within her. "I don't know what she said to you, but I can tell you… it can't be true. I love you."

Marinette shook her head and pushed him away as she brought her knees to her chest and bit down on her fingers. Sobs racked through her body and Adrien tried to hold her again as she hysterically cried.

Each time he tried to touch her, she hit his hands away. Adrien gave up as two orderlies ran out to grab her. They stuck a needle in her hip and took her to their room. Adrien felt anger bubble up. He hadn't been this angry in a while and seeing Marinette so broken made him sick to his stomach.

He clenched his hands in and out of fists as he found Lila talking to Alya.

"You make the Ladyblog, right? I watch it all the time…" Lila gushed at Alya about her online blog. "I love the vlogs that you do. Oh my god…" She touched Alya's shoulder. "When you talked about the food they serve here? I was so appalled. I knew I had to come here to change that. That's why I'm here. I want to help you all." Lila smiled and was interrupted by a finger tapping on her shoulder.

She turned to see a very stern man with his arms crossed over his chest and a toe turned out. "What did you say to my girl?" Adrien glared at her and the rest of the patients backed up.

"Nothing that she didn't already know." Lila smiled and walked up to him, pressing her breasts against his chest. "And what is your name? I didn't get a chance to ask you."

"I'm going to ask you again… what did you say to her?" Adrien gently pushed her away from himself.

"Oh, why bother with the boring stuff? I want to hear about you…" Lila bat her eyelashes at him as she played with his black shirt. "Don't you want to know about me?"

"Really don't care." Adrien took her hand from his shirt and threw it off like she was disgusting. "What did you say?"

"Adrien, why are you so angry? She's super nice." Alya smiled and Adrien flashed her a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, she complimented my nails." Juleka chimed in and Rose nodded in agreeance.

"She said my outfit was cute." Rose agreed with Juleka and Adrien scoffed in complete shock.

"You guys have known Marinette longer and you're going to let this… vixen over here sway you?" Adrien gestured at Lila with his hand.

"I'm a _vixen _am I?" Lila smirked as she giggled and ran her hand along his shoulders as she walked past by him.

"NOT! In a good way." Adrien glared at her as she giggled at his words.

"She knows a prince. A PRINCE!" Mylene spoke out and Ivan nodded.

"She does!" Ivan chimed in as he wrapped an arm around Mylene.

"I mean she's pretty hot too." Kim shrugged as Lila bat her eyelashes at Adrien.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and touched the tip of his nose with her index finger. "Who needs an insecure girl like her, hm? How can you want that when you have all that you need right here in your arms?" Lila grabbed his hands and put his arms around her waist. "Don't you agree?"

"No. I don't. I just want to know what the hell you said to her." Adrien took his hands off of her and shoved her away.

Lila rolled her eyes and walked up to whisper into his ear. "You keep asking questions and I'll make sure you never leave this place. I have my ways. Trust me." Adrien straightened his posture as she giggled with a smile and backed away from him. "Who wants to show me around?" Lila's voice became cute as she smiled for the rest of the group. "Kim?" She put her hands behind her back and flirted with him.

"Sure." Kim smiled and led her around the common room.

Adrien swallowed hard and cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. He walked out of the common area and to his room.

He opened the door and shut it behind himself, resting his back against the door. Adrien's attention went to Marinette on her bed. He sighed and sat down beside her, peering down at her peaceful face.

"What are you gonna do, kid?" Plagg swirled around him and he tried to wave him away.

"Nothing." Adrien whispered under his breath as he moved dark strands of hair from Marinette's face.

"That girl says she can get you locked up in here forever. I bet she could do it. She seems to have her ways." Plagg snickered as he wrapped his hands around Adrien's throat.

"I don't think she can. She's all talk." Adrien focused on Marinette and brushed the back of his fingers along her cheek.

Marinette winced and a soft whine escaped from her lips. Plagg smirked and swirled around the two of them with a sharp toothed smile.

"Oh no? Look what she's done to Marinette." Plagg rested his head against Marinette's face and Adrien cringed at how it looked.

"Don't fucking touch her." Adrien went to shove Plagg off when Marinette woke up, causing Plagg to dissipate.

Marinette gasped and sprang up, crawling back into the corner away from him. Adrien gave her a confused expression as he crawled closer to her. He watched her shake her head.

"It's okay. You're okay. Can you talk to me?" Adrien kept his voice calm and watched her shake her head. He became more frustrated and suddenly slammed his palm beside her head on the wall, causing her to jump and duck her head beneath her arms. "Sorry, Sorry. I'm just frustrated." Adrien took his palm from the wall and ran it through his hair.

"Am I really just a friend?" Marinette swallowed hard and mumbled from her folded arms.

"What?" Adrien couldn't understand what she had said. "I couldn't understand you."

Marinette peered up with a broken gaze and puffy red eyes. "Am I just a friend to you?"

Adrien was shocked by her words and suddenly pulled her into a hug. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her away to touch her face. He brought her gaze to his and focused on her. "You are more than a friend to me. You are my best friend and-"

Marinette burst out into a whimper as she fought to hold back a sob. She pushed him away by his chest and he held strong against it.

"Stop. Stop and let me finish. I wasn't done. Marinette." Adrien grabbed her arms and held her still. "I was saying that you are not only my best friend, but you are the love of my life. The only reason I am still here and possibly being released. You are my light. Do you understand me? I love you. More than anything in this world." Adrien shook her slightly and watched her stare at him. "Hear me?"

Marinette closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she tried to focus on his words. "I'm not just a friend?"

"Hell no! Would a friend do this?" Adrien ran his hand along her neck and sank his fingers into her hair as he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She squeaked as he touched the small of her back and yanked her closer. She grabbed his bicep and gave in as she parted her lips and he dipped his tongue between them to run it along hers.

Marinette softly moaned as she fell back with him on top of her. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer as he rolled his hips against hers. She wrapped her legs around his hips and got lost in his kiss as he gripped onto her.

Adrien broke the kiss, causing her to gasp for air as she caught her breath. "I'm sorry." Marinette pressed her forehead against his and he broke out in a soft laugh.

"What else did she say, baby?" Adrien whispered and Marinette gave in.

"That I was pathetic and no one liked me. That everyone was pretending. That I wasn't smart and how she thought I would be because asian's are supposed to be smart." Marinette's voice broke and more tears fell.

"That's not true. You are stronger than most of the people here. You're not pathetic and everyone likes you. We all like you." Adrien ran his fingers through her hair as he peered down at her. He kissed her forehead, cheeks, and then her lips. "I love you. And again… people shouldn't stereotype others. Stereotypes only hurt people and are made up to turn people against one another. Build lies and create this fake image of someone that does not exist. All it does is cause pain. Suffering. Not everyone fits into a box made up by people."

Marinette nodded as she sniffed and kissed him back. "I know you love me, but what about them? Who's to say they like me?"

"They like you." Adrien sighed as a knock sounded on their door. He quickly got off of her as Ms. Bustier opened the door.

"Group therapy." Ms. Bustier smiled and became concerned as she saw Marinette wipe tears from her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Marinette nodded and cleared her throat as she stood up. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Let's go." Ms. Bustier led them to the group therapy room.

Adrien and Marinette took a seat within the circle and waited for Dr. Fu to speak. He tapped his pen against his clipboard and waited for everyone to quiet down.

"Alright, most of you may have noticed that we have a new guest. Lila, why don't you introduce yourself?" Dr. Fu pointed at the new girl with his pen.

Lila cleared her throat and stood up, brushing her hands down her skirt. "As most of you know… My name is Lila Rossi." She touched her chest and smiled at them all. "I am a well known actress. I'm sure you have seen me in films. As you know… Prince Ali and I are super close. Practically inseparable."

"Yes, we know that. Why don't we talk about why you are here?" Dr. Fu tried to drag it out of her.

"I'm not a compulsive liar if that is what you are getting at, Dr. Fu?" She touched her chest as she spoke the next words. "I am insulted that you would even accuse me of such things."

"You lied your way into Prince Ali's home and they found you in his bed, wearing his shirt. He wasn't home and was away on business." Dr. Fu read her chart and wrote something down.

"I don't lie. He knew I was there. I received an invitation." Lila scoffed at Dr. Fu and peered around the room.

"Yes, an email telling you that if you did show up on the premises they would have you removed. He then emailed that he would send you a restraining order." Dr. Fu read her chart and looked up at her. "Care to speak on that?"

"Surely that's for individual therapy. What happened to patient confidentiality?" Lila giggled and waved him away. "Plus that's a little joke we have."

"I see. You are absolutely right. Forgive me." Dr. Fu nodded and peered around the circle, stopping on Marinette. "Marinette. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Fu smiled at her and She worried her bottom lip.

Adrien rolled his eyes as he thought about how obvious that question was. Marinette didn't look good and it was obvious that she was battling something. He watched her lick her lips and begin to part them to talk, but then she froze up. She brought her hands into her lap and began to fiddle with her fingers as her knee bounced. She crossed an arm over her chest and chewed on her nails.

"Clearly, she is overwhelmed by my presence." Lila gave Marinette a wicked smile that no one else could see, except Adrien. Adrien read it loud and clear.

Marinette balled her fists in her lap and Adrien crossed his arms over his chest with an angry expression. "No one is overwhelmed by you. If anything they're underwhelmed by you."

"That wasn't very nice of you, Adrikins." Chloe scoffed and only made Adrien more angry. His blood boiled and his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. "She is a respectable and nice girl."

"I swear to all things…" Adrien went to get up, but Marinette grabbed his thigh to push him back in his seat.

She shook her head and Adrien peered at her with a saddened expression. He watched Marinette peer through her dark veil of hair at him.

"Well, I think that's enough for today. Seems like we all have a few interesting views on this situation. We'll talk about it in individual therapy." Dr. Fu sighed and put his pen back on his clipboard.

Ms. Bustier walked back in to gather everyone and take them to the common area.

Marinette kept her head down as she walked with Adrien. He held her against his side as the girls all giggled and chatted around them.

"Oh my god… did you see how she got so jealous of me in there?" Lila leaned into Chloe and giggled. "So, pathetic. Don't you think?" She peered over her shoulder and looked at Adrien whispering something to Marinette. "No wonder she's in here." She spoke loud enough for Marinette to hear.

Marinette shot a glance up at the group and stopped walking. Adrien felt her shoulders tremble and watched how her toes pointed towards each other. She closed up more, bringing her shoulders up to her ears as she began to feel small.

"I mean she couldn't even answer a simple question." Lila laughed and Chloe joined in on the fun.

"Marinette?" Adrien touched her chin and brought her gaze to his, but she clenched her eyes shut. "Baby?"

Marinette hid inside herself and pretended like she couldn't hear him. Like she wasn't visible. She just wanted to disappear and not be there anymore.

"No one likes you. Just listen to them talk." Tikki swirled around her and grazed her shoulders with her claws. "How they mock you…"

"Marinette?" Adrien tried again to reach her, but it wasn't working.

_They hate me. They really hate me. I'm pathetic. I'm stupid. They were never my friends to begin with. I should disappear. I should die. No one would miss me. No one would care if I was suddenly gone. No one would even notice. I'm terrible. I'm awful. I'm a bad friend. I'm so stupid. I'm-_

Marinette fell to the ground and curled up with her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth with her forehead pressed against her folded arms. Adrien felt his anxiety rise as he thought about what they would do if they found her like that. Saw that she had broken all over again. He panicked that they would never get out of that hell hole because of her state. She had reverted back and he knew it. Something in it bubbled something up in him. Caused him to become angry. More angry than he had ever been before. More than he thought was even possible in all of his years being held down by his father.

Marinette started to cry hysterically and scream as she rapidly began to scratch at her arms with her nails. Began tearing at her flesh and trying to end it all.

"Shit." Adrien began to try and grab her hands to keep her from it, but he couldn't get a grasp on her. She began to shove him away in her blind fury, scratching his arms with her nails. "You need to stop. You're okay. Marinette, I need you to calm down…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE! LET ME DIE! I JUST WANT TO DIE! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME END IT?" Marinette burst the words from her mouth, causing a scene as she ran to their room to grab what was hiding in his book.

Adrien ran after her and flung their door open, finding her flinging his books from his shelf until she found it. Her vision was blurry from the tears as she opened the book and pulled out the jagged metal piece.

"Stop! Marinette, you don't want this! This isn't you!" Adrien went to grab a hold of her to keep her from doing what she was about to, but she was too fast and too strong. "MS. BUSTIER!" Adrien began yelling for help as Marinette took the blade and jammed it into one of her wrists. "HELP! MARINETTE! MS. BUSTIER! God damnit!" Adrien burst out as he panicked about what he could do to end it.

She angrily jammed and dragged the metal down her other wrist, causing blood to pour down both of her forearms. Adrien jumped on the bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind, not caring if she stabbed him with the metal piece or not. He freed one of his arms from around her shoulders and pried the sharp object from her closed fist. He threw it across the room and rocked her, making a soft hush noise in her ear as she sobbed. He ripped pieces of his shirt off and used them to add pressure to the wounds, while the staff took their sweet time.

"MS. BUSTIER! SOMEONE! HELP!" Adrien cried out again and then ran his fingers through Marinette's hair to try and calm her. His voice became soft in her ear. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. You're going to be okay."

Nurse Bustier ran into the room and covered her mouth as she saw Adrien covered in blood and crying over a passed out Marinette. Nurse Bustier walked up to press her fingers against Marinette's pulse, feeling a weak movement beneath her skin.

"Hang on." Nurse Bustier pushed the button on her radio and within moments staff ran into their room.

An orderly went to grab Marinette from Adrien's grasp, but he only pulled her closer to his body.

"Honey, they got to take her. If you want her to be okay? They have to take her." Nurse Bustier tried to reason with Adrien enough to let her go. "I promise, she'll be okay. You have to let them take her."

Adrien couldn't even think or hear what she was saying. He just knew that Marinette needed help and no one was willing to help her. To help him. So, he resorted to what he knew. He had to take care of not only himself, but her. He had to save her.

"Adrien." Nurse Bustier tried to reach him. She touched his shoulder and he flashed a look up at her that spoke more than any words could. A look of raw carnal anger. One she hadn't seen on his face in a long time. "Sedate him." She never wanted to say those words, but she knew that within moments he'd be a problem.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Adrien burst out as an orderly took a hold of Marinette.

"Here we go again." The other orderly rolled his eyes as he grabbed Adrien by his shoulders and held him back, so the other man could take her away.

Adrien flailed and fought against him as Nurse Bustier bit the cap off of a syringe and shoved his jeans down to administer the sedative into him. The room spun and he found himself losing control of his surroundings.

"Lay him down. I'll restrain him." Nurse Bustier instructed the orderlies to lay Adrien down as she sighed. She felt so guilty about it all. She would have reacted the same if the person she loved had done that. "I'm so sorry, Adrien." She fastened his wrists into restraints and then his ankles.

Nurse Bustier followed the two men in white out of the room and went to assist with Marinette, when Dr. Fu called her on the radio.

"Come to my office." Dr. Fu's voice was irritated and urgent, making her jump.

"On my way." Nurse Bustier spoke in a professional tone and then let out an exhausted sigh as she turned around to head towards his office.

She walked up to the door and knocked on it. Dr. Fu told her to come in and she slowly opened the door.

"Come in and sit." Dr. Fu gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

She sat down and waited for him to speak. She knew what it was going to be about and a part of her didn't want to hear it. If she heard it then it would be a reality and she didn't want to even think about it.

"I want to talk about Marinette." Dr. Fu rested his hands on his desk.

"I figured you did." Ms. Bustier sighed as she waited for his next instruction.

"I don't know what happened to her. Out of all of our guests… she is the last one that I thought would go this route. I hate to do this, but she's going to need to be put into solitary. I can't handle her harming herself or others. That also means that Adrien is going to need to be heavily watched. There's no telling what he will do." Dr. Fu spoke in a serious manner and Ms. Bustier nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Fu." Ms. Bustier agreed with him as much as she didn't want to. "For how long?"

"As long as she needs to be. Adrien won't take it well and I suspect that he will spiral." Dr. Fu sighed as he flipped open Adrien's chart. "Actually, I know he will. It won't be pretty. Not after what he saw."

"I know and I'll deal with it if it happens." Ms. Bustier nodded and went to stand up.

"I want him restrained for some time too. Until he seems to be of sound mind." Dr. Fu closed Adrien's file and Nurse Bustier agreed with him.

"Of course." Ms. Bustier stood up to leave and make her rounds. "I'll go make my rounds and tell the staff to move Marinette to a room in the far wing."

"Thank you, Ms. Bustier." Dr. Fu smiled at her and she smiled back as she left.

**Songs I wrote to:**

**Disappear by Hoobastank**

**Papercut by Linkin Park**


	13. Chapter 13

**Note: I didn't feel like making you all wait longer for the next one. haha **

**Chapter 13:**

Marinette woke up in a room with no windows. The only window was on small one in the door. She moved her arms to find that they were strapped down and that they stung. A part of her knew what she had done. How she had ended up there. But she didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to know that she had caused a scene in front of Adrien. That she had gone off the deep end that far.

"You do know that now that you've had that little episode… they're not going to let you go." Tikki laid beside her in the air and looked at her claws as she leaned on her elbow. She swirled onto her stomach and held her head in her clawed hands. "Actually? You know what? This could work out. Just you and me in this little room. For eternity!" Tikki burst out into a fit of maniacal laughter that made Marinette scared. "Don't tell me you no longer want me. Girl, all you have is me now."

"Stop it." Marinette whispered in the dark as she swallowed back tears. "Stop taunting me!" She pulled against the straps to no avail.

Screams echoed around the room from the other patients around her. She could tell that they had slowly spiraled into darkness and it was her fate as well. A fate that she had never dreamed of.

_I'm gonna be stuck in this hole forever. Lost and no one will find me. A ghost. A phantom that no one can see or talk to. I'll never see Adrien again. I'll never see my family again. What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? What have I…_

The words repeated in her mind until the door opened and the light of the hallway illuminated her empty room. Nurse Bustier found Marinette shaking her head back and forth mumbling with sweat on her forehead. She ran over and pressed the back of her hand against the girl's forehead, finding it warm.

She unstrapped her and unbandaged her arms to check her wounds, finding them to be infected. "Damnit." Nurse Bustier strapped her back down and ran to grab a medical cart.

She came back to the room and sat beside Marinette to clean her wounds. She began to rebandage them with careful precision. Nurse Bustier grabbed antibiotics from her cart and helped Marinette sit up.

"Marinette?" Ms. Bustier tried to coax her back to reality. "Sweetheart? Your wounds are infected and I need you to take these."

She mumbled something and took the pills from Ms. Bustier. She placed them in her mouth and took the cup of water with a shaking hand. She opened her mouth and moved her tongue around to show that she had swallowed it, like she knew she had to. It was subconscious at this point and just a part of her routine. It took little thought from her to do it.

"Thank you. Now, I brought you lunch." Ms. Bustier passed her a tray of food and Marinette shook her head. "You have to eat. Even a little bit."

Marinette took the tray and pushed her fruit around. She sniffed as her stomach turned and Nurse Bustier pushed her to eat.

"Those pills won't sit right without food." Ms. Bustier waited for her to bring a piece of bread to her mouth.

Marinette slowly chewed without an expression on her face. She felt nothing but two things. Regret and overwhelming sadness.

"Adrien isn't doing so well." Ms. Bustier brought him up to Marinette and watched as the girl's hand trembled.

Marinette had issues taking another bite of the bread when she heard Nurse Bustier's words.

"He's been restrained for some time." Ms. Bustier sighed as she watched Marinette clamp her mouth down around the piece of bread. "Today we're going to be trying to let him go to the common area for a bit."

Marinette's eyes began to burn with unshed tears. She finished eating and shoved the tray at Nurse Bustier. Marinette laid back down and put her arms at her sides without so much as a complaint.

Nurse Bustier sighed as she set the tray onto her cart. She began to wrap the straps across her body. "I don't know what you are fighting in your mind, but I want you to know that there is a very hurt man out there waiting for you to be set free."

Marinette stared at the ceiling and watched Tikki spiral in a circle and giggle in a mocking tone. Nurse Bustier shook her head and walked out of the room with her cart.

Adrien walked into the common room determined to end this. He had nothing to lose. His girlfriend was locked up somewhere else and he had no way of finding her. No way of knowing if she was okay. If she was even alive. He grabbed a chair and swung it around to sit in front of the group of girls playing poker. He sat in the chair, facing the back of it. He rested his arms along the top of the seat and glared at Lila through his blonde hair.

"So, who wants to fess up to what they have done?" Adrien stared at her with an anger that was anything but sane. He smirked at her and the circles beneath his eyes from his lack of sleep only made him look more out of it.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I have been nothing more than polite." Lila touched her chest with a smile as the group of patients agreed with her. "In fact…" Lila stood up from her seat and walked up to him.

"You touch me and I'll make you sorry that you ever did." Adrien glared up at her as she stood in front of him.

"Will you now? I thought you liked how I touched you." Lila ran her hands along his shoulders and up to his jawline as she leaned towards him. "Don't you?" She sank her fingers into his hair and yanked his head back. "You like a girl that plays rough and hard to get. Or is a pathetic mute more your style?" Lila brought her lips close to his as she purred the words at him.

Adrien glared at her with an expression that shot bullets into her heart. "I've killed people for less. Get the fuck off me."

"Or what? Don't you like it? Don't you like a girl who knows what she is doing?" Lila ran her hands down his spine and Adrien grabbed her arms and gripped her wrists tightly as he stood up.

"You want to know how girls like you make me feel?" Adrien shoved her towards the bookshelf that held all of the games. The shelving unit shook as he threw her into it. "Do you?" His fingers tightened around her wrists and caused them to become red.

"HELP! SOMEONE!" Lila saw how his eyes went wild and how his chest rose and fell in short breaths. Could see the pure anger and malice in his expression. Something about it scared her.

"NO. ONE!" Adrien slammed her into the shelves with each word. "No one is going to save you." He spoke the words past his clenched teeth and felt her whole body tremble.

"Are… you… scared...?" He tilted his head to the side like a curious cat, ran his hand up her chest, and grasped onto her neck. He clenched his fingers around her frail neck. He threw her to the ground and straddled her hips as she looked up at him in horror. The air was knocked out of her and she gasped for breath as he began to punch her in the face, over and over and over again.

"HELP! SOMEBODY!" Alya called out as everyone watched in horror.

"YOU FUCKING KILLED My GIRLFRIEND!" Adrien burst out in anger as he punched her, causing her face to turn from right to left with each blow. Dark purple and crimson bruises quickly appeared along her cheekbones and around her eyes. Her bottom lip split open and blood spilled from it. Her nose cracked and more blood ran down the side of her face. He punched her across the cheek and she spit out blood along the tile.

"HE'S GOING TO KILL HER!" Rose called out to try and help Alya.

"That's it kid. Get locked in here forever. Do it." Plagg cheered him on as he covered Adrien's eyes in shadows, causing him to black out in a blind rage.

"I DIDN'T KILL HER! I DIDN'T DO IT! I'M INNOCENT!" Lila screamed out as she tried to fight him, but failed to do so. He was too strong and his hits were too hard. She lost her breath and gave up quick as she was knocked out.

"LIAR!" Adrien burst out as he grabbed her shirt and slammed her into the ground over and over again. His heart broke as he heard her skull slam against the floor and couldn't find a reason to care.

"STOP!" Nurse Bustier screamed out as she ran in to find complete chaos. Everyone was backed up against the far wall in various shades of shock and horror at the amount of blood on the floor. At how flushed Adrien had become with rage. At how silent Lila had gotten. Her body was left moving like a rag doll and it unsettled everyone.

Two attendants ran over to grab Adrien by his upper arms, prying him off of Lila. He screamed and fought against them with all of his anger. Kicking and punching; while he screamed in a primal way that didn't seem human. Like he was fighting for his life.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME! SHE KILLED HER! SHE KILLED MARINETTE! DON'T YOU SEE?" Adrien screamed and kicked as they dragged him to his room. "WHY DOES NO ONE HEAR ME? WHY AM I ALWAYS ALONE? I'M NOT TO BLAME! SHE IS! IT'S ALL HER FAULT! LET- ME- GO!"

The two men shoved him onto his bed and held him down as a nurse came in to knock him out with a sedative; while he screamed at the top of his lungs. Adrien kicked the end of the bed and eventually stilled. The nurse put him into restraints and they all left him.

000

Nurse Bustier smiled for the other guests after Lila was taken to an area to be treated. The amount of emotion on everyone's face made her heart break.

"I know that was not the best sight to see, but we need to look at the bright side. So, how about we all watch a movie together, hm?" Ms. Bustier tried to make it better for them, but she knew no amount of words would help them. That no amount of distraction was going to help with this situation.

They had seen too much and she had had too if she was being honest. She knew that he would break. That he would go after Lila, but for some reason she chose to trust him.

"Will Lila be okay?" Rose hugged onto Juleka as her knees trembled. "Will we be okay? What if he comes after us?"

Nurse Bustier walked up to Rose with a warm smile. "He has nothing against any of you. It was purely against Lila. No one else. He's hurting right now. That is all. It'll be okay."

"But why Lila?" Alya crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Why won't anyone tell us?"

Nurse Bustier sighed as she thought about what to say to the smart girl. "He blames her for Marinette's mishap."

"But she wasn't mean to Marinette." Mylene chimed in as she peered around the room.

"Well, she did say some awful things to me about her." Chloe looked at her nails with a hand on her hip. "But you didn't hear that from me. That Marinette girl needs help anyway." She rolled her eyes and snapped for Sabrina to follow her to the smoking porch.

"Does anyone know what she said to Adrien?" Nurse Bustier began to question everyone. "Anyone at all?"

"He walked in here like he owned the room and pulled up a chair. He began demanding answers from her." Ivan blurted out information and Mylene knocked him with her elbow. "What? Someone has to say it."

Kim sighed and gave in, spilling the rest. "She pushed herself on him and asked if mute was more his style. Girlwise. He lost his shit at that point. She kept touching him and he cracked."

"Thank you, Kim and Ivan." Nurse Bustier smiled at him and walked past them all to put a movie in. "I'll be back to grab each of you for individual therapy."

The group watched Ms. Bustier leave and waited until she was gone from their sight. Whispers immediately erupted from the room.

"I don't understand." Mylene was at a loss for what had just transpired. None of it made sense to her.

"To be fair if someone hurt you or made you try to off yourself? I'd fight too. But that would also explain why I'm in this hell hole to begin with." Ivan shrugged and took Mylene's hand. "I was at a loss when you were gone from me because you had tried to hang yourself. Don't do that anymore, please."

Mylene smiled up at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I wouldn't dream of it now that I saw your reaction. I never want to see that pain on your face again."

"I was lucky that Adrien shoved me towards you. That he made me act. I was lucky that Nurse Bustier ran in when she did. That they cut you down. I-" Tears filled Ivan's eyes as he remembered it vividly. "I don't know how Adrien felt. How it felt when no one came to stop it. No one heard him plea for help. No one. Could you imagine?"

Everyone began to feel bad for Adrien. The room was filled with silence until Chloe and Sabrina walked back inside.

"Why are you all upset? Adrikins is used to being alone." Chloe scoffed as she played with her blonde hair. "He's used to dealing with his own problems."

Alya looked at her like she was the worst person in the room. "Are you fucking serious, right now?"

"What? I've known him for a long time… he's fine." Chloe rolled her eyes and brushed it off like it was nothing.

"This is fucking ridiculous." Alya threw her hands up into the air and walked off to Adrien's room.

"Where are you going?" Juleka called out to Alya in shock.

"Going to go talk to Adrien!" Alya yelled as she opened the bedroom door to her friend's room. She was fed up with everything and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"We won't save you!" Kim called after her as the bedroom door shut behind her. "Your funeral." He scoffed under his breath and shook his head.

000

Alya stared at Adrien's sleeping figure on his bed and sat on the edge of Marinette's. It had been empty for a week or so, but no one seemed to have cared. Even her; which now was the most upsetting thing in her mind. She looked over at the sketchbooks and at all of the drawings of Adrien.

"She really loves you." Alya softly laughed as she grabbed one of the sketches from the wall. She looked at it and thought about Nino. "You know if I lost Nino? I'd be upset too. I can't even fathom how you feel. How you felt."

Alya set the drawing down beside her hips and watched him slightly stir on his bed and whine. She had never seen him with the expression that he had. Had never seen the man look so pained. It was upsetting to her and made her heart break, but nothing ripped her heart in two as much as when he uttered a word past his lips.

"Marinette…" Adrien whimpered her name as if he was in agony. He began to pull against the restraints and shift his head back and forth like he was fighting something. "Marinette?"

Alya bit her bottom lip and got up to sit beside him on his bed. "Hey."

Silent sobs racked through his body and she watched him break, refusing to open his eyes or look at her. His messy hair hung in front of his eyes and she looked over his fists. They were caked in dried blood. Lila's blood.

"It's okay." Alya kept her voice calm and he slowly opened his eyes to look at her. His expression was still broken and he looked at her as if he wanted her to end it all. To end his suffering and let him join her. "You do know that Marinette is still here."

"She's not. She's dead." Adrien burst out in a cracked voice that only made her see his pain more.

"No, she's alive. She's in the far wing. You know that. We know that. She's okay." Alya tried to comfort him and he looked away from her. He tried to bend his knees, but it was no use. "Look at me."

Adrien's bottom lip quivered as he tried to ignore her. He didn't want to believe what she was saying. Plagg had told him over and over again that she was gone. "She's gone." His voice was barely audible and Alya sighed.

"She is not gone. I promise you. I don't know what Lila had to do with this, but I'm here to try and help you out." Alya hit his bed with her palm as frustration took her over. "I know you're broken. I know that you're in pain. Nino wouldn't want this for you. Marinette wouldn't want this for you. I certainly don't want this for you."

Adrien peered at her with swollen red eyes. "I want to see her. Hold her. Touch her. Know that she's here." His voice splintered into a million pieces.

"She is there and I'm sure she feels the same as you." Alya lifted her hand and hovered it in the air.

He flinched as she brought her hand closer to his face. She ignored how he clenched his eyes tightly shut. Alya softly touched his hair and ran her fingers through it. She watched as his expression relaxed with each stroke. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes as she continued to run her fingers along his scalp in a calming way.

A knock sounded on the door and Alya looked over her shoulder to see Nurse Bustier enter. "How is he?" She cringed as she took in the way he was shivering beneath Alya's fingertips.

"Hurting. Can't he see her? Can't he know that she's okay?" Alya begged Ms. Bustier with her warm brown eyes.

"I would love to do that, but…" Ms. Bustier sighed as she thought about Dr. Fu and what he had told her. "It's not my say."

"This isn't healthy. This isn't okay." Alya burst out as she stood up and gestured towards Adrien. "He's hurting and you are doing nothing about it!"

"This is not my facility. If it was… I would have dealt with this much differently." Ms. Bustier gave in and spoke with her heart. "I don't like them hurting any more than you do. You think I enjoy staring at everyone's pain?"

Alya stopped talking and watched Nurse Bustier begin to break down. Her cheery facade cracked as she lost her composure.

"I am so sorry." Alya understood that she truly cared for them. That she was different than the rest of the nurses and attendants that worked there.

"It doesn't matter. I'll remove his restraints and care for his hands. You should go. Nino is due to visit in a bit." Ms. Bustier smiled and watched Alya light up. "Go. I got this handled. I promise I won't hurt him."

Alya nodded and slightly hesitated; before, she turned to leave the room.

Nurse Bustier undid his ankles first and then his wrists. Adrien didn't get up like he usually would when she removed them. He didn't even move his wrists from above his head. He zoned out on the ceiling and swallowed hard.

She sighed and left to grab her medical cart, bringing it back inside. She took one of his hands and ran an alcohol wipe over the cuts. He didn't even wince and something about his blank expression made a chill run up her spine.

"You're gonna need stitches." Ms. Bustier sighed as she looked over his wounds. How his knuckles were split open in two places. She rummaged around her cart until she found the supplies that she needed. She carefully stitched up his wounds and bandaged them. "I am so so sorry. If I could? I would let you see her. I would. Promise, Adrien."

"Why can't I?" Adrien barely got the words past his lips as he kept his gaze on the ceiling. "How can I? When she isn't even here anymore. When she is gone." His words lacked any emotion and his heart broke further.

"She's not dead, Adrien." Nurse Bustier tried to make him see it. "You saw me check her pulse. You were there."

"She's gone." Adrien rolled his head towards the wall and stared at it, counting the shapes in the white stucco.

Nurse Bustier tending to his other hand with a sigh. "She isn't in the best shape, but she is very much alive. She stares at the ceiling and sometimes calls out for you when she sleeps. She eats a little. Her cuts got infected, but I put her on antibiotics after I cleaned them. She'll be okay."

Adrien turned to her with tears falling from his red eyes. "My blade made her get an infection?"

_All your fault. All your fault. It's always your fault and has been for years. Such a disappointment. _Plagg swirled around him and consumed his being.

"It's not your fault." Ms. Bustier set his other hand down at his side.

"Liar…" Plagg hissed as he showed his sharp teeth in a sickening grin, wrapping around Adrien's neck.

"It is my fault. I showed her where it was. I hid it. I put it there. It's all my fault." Adrien brought his bandaged hands to his emerald eyes and sobbed. "Everything is my fault."

"Adrien. It is not your fault. But I have to ask you now." Ms. Bustier gave him a serious expression as she gently touched his arm. "What else are you hiding in here?"

He groaned and turned away from her, hugging his pillow as he laid on his side. He faced the wall and didn't speak.

"Don't you dare tell her… Don't you dare show her… It's our secret. Our secret! No one else's!" Plagg hissed through his teeth as he wrapped around Adrien's throat tighter.

"Don't make me have them search the room. It'd be easier if you just told me." Ms. Bustier spoke in a calm manner.

"NO!" Plagg's voice came out like a snake spitting venom as he clutched his claws into Adrien's skin.

_It's the way it is. I can't do this anymore. I can't live this way anymore. _Adrien slowly got up and grabbed the books from his shelf. He handed her three of them and then leaned over the bed to pull ziplocks from behind it. Some partially full and others that were empty. He held the bags out without emotion and she took them and threw them into the trash on her cart. Nurse Bustier watched him get up and walk across the room with a lack of trying or caring. She watched as he reached above the door and pulled down a piece of metal that was jagged. He then went and felt along the wall for a seam where he opened a spot in the wall and pulled out a metal box; before, shoving the chunk of wall back in place.

Adrien walked over and dumped it all beside her. He laid back on his bed and turned to face the wall again. "That's it."

Nurse Bustier opened the books and found holes cut out in each one. One book held laxatives. Another held some type of diet pills. The third one had a broken spork piece. She took a look at the sharp piece of metal that had been up above the door and saw how rusted it was. She knew it wasn't safe and it made her heart hurt. She looked over the last item, which was the box.

"What's in the box, Adrien?" Nurse Bustier looked over at him and how he had his arms crossed over his chest with his back to her.

"Don't tell her…" Plagg hissed as he swirled around Nurse Bustier. "Grab it from her! DO IT, KID!"

Adrien swallowed hard and waited for her to open it. Something about it scared Nurse Bustier to no end. In all of her years of being a nurse, she had never seen someone hide something in a wall. She was instantly concerned about what it was. Why he had hid it so hard.

"What's in the box?" Ms. Bustier pressed him for an answer, but he didn't move or respond to her. "If I open this, will I-"

Adrien still didn't answer as he waited for his fate. Waited for what would happen to him. Waited to be in trouble.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" Ms. Bustier gave up and touched the closure on the box.

Adrien shivered as he gave up and realized that he would never leave.

Plagg swirled around him and shook his shoulders. "What are you doing, kid? Why would you do that? Don't do this! Don't let her open it!"

_Stop it, Plagg. I'm done. Stop it! Leave me alone. I'm done. I give up. I can't fight anymore. I can't. _

Nurse Bustier opened the box and brought a hand to her mouth as hoards of drawings littered the inside. Drawings of sharp white teeth within black masses. Spindly black creatures with claws and sharp fangs. Some with red blood tipped teeth and dripping claws. Others just wisps of black streaked along the white surface. Drawing after drawing of some vicious monster. A monster that lurked in his mind far too often and for far too long.

"Does this… _thing_… have a name?" Ms. Bustier held up a drawing of it ripping off Lila's head and eating it. "Adrien. Talk to me. You know I'll have to tell Dr. Fu about all of this."

Adrien gasped in a breath as he let his sobs consume him. "Plagg."

**Songs I wrote to:**

**Hello by Evanescence**

**Medicine by Au/Ra**

**Dance in the Dark by Au/Ra**

**Assassin by Au/Ra**

**Panic Room (Acoustic) by Au/Ra**


	14. Chapter 14

**Note: ****If anyone has song suggestions for this story? Feel free to comment them. I'd love to hear them and write to them. :) I've been using some of my old ones that I used to listen to and other random ones that I happen to find on Youtube or ones that my husband gives me. But I'd love to hear some of your go tos for inspiration. :) Only if you want to.**

Nino kissed and hugged Alya in one of the visitor's rooms. He smiled and held her in his arms as they sat and talked.

"How is my man?" Nino smiled as he ran his hand along her thigh.

She had her arms wrapped around his neck as she continued to kiss him. "Not good. Marinette tried to kill herself a few weeks ago and he beat the hell out of Lila for it. So, he's-"

"Restrained." Nino sighed as he shook his head in disbelief. "Well, can't say that I blame him. I would have reacted the same way. Can I see him?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Ms. Bustier." Alya sighed and hugged him closer.

He wrapped his arms around her and took her off of his lap. "Hang on. I'm going to go find her and ask her." Nino stood up and walked out of the room with Alya behind him.

It didn't take Nino long to find Nurse Bustier. She was in the common area with the rest of the group. Everyone flipped out when they saw Nino and flooded him with hugs.

"Hey guys!" Nino hugged them all and fist bumped Ivan, Kim, and Max.

"What's it like being free?" Mylene smiled at him as she waited for him to spill everything to her.

"It's nice, but I miss you guys." Nino adjusted his hat as he hid underneath it.

"Hello, Nino. How have you been?" Ms. Bustier smiled for him, but he saw something dark behind her expression.

"Can I see him?" Nino didn't have to say Adrien's name for her to understand who it was that he was talking about.

"Yeah. Come with me." Ms. Bustier led Nino to Adrien's room. "He's about to see Dr. Fu in a little while."

"Got it." Nino nodded as she opened his door and let him inside.

Nino stopped to see Adrien laying on his bed, facing the wall. He was trembling and curled with his knees to his chest. Nino sat down on the edge of his bed and faced Marinette's bed. He looked over the sketches of Adrien on the wall and swallowed hard, feeling the bed shake beneath him.

Nurse Bustier nodded at Nino as she left and closed the door behind herself to give them space.

"Hey, man." Nino spoke and pretended like he didn't notice that his best friend was in pieces.

Adrien didn't say anything in response. He threw his pillow over his head to hide and Nino sighed.

"I heard that you beat the shit out of Lila. Serves her right, am I right?" Nino held his fist out and got no response. "No? That's alright." He rested his hands on the bed and leaned back. "Remember when we shared a room? All the shit we would talk about. Girls? Cars? Music? Shit we wish we would do once we were free from this hell hole? It was the best. I always could get you to laugh. Even on your worst days. But I guess… those days must seem like heaven to you right now." Nino smirked as he messed with his baseball cap and peered over at Adrien.

Adrien shivered and Nino got up to grab his tablet. He opened the art app and saw Marinette's handwriting. "So, this is how she talked to you?"

Adrien sprang up and ripped the tablet from his hands and scurried against the wall with his knees drawn up and his head against his arms.

"It's okay, man. I wasn't going to erase it." Nino held his hands up on either side of his head with a warm smile.

"Are they talking about me?" Adrien cleared his throat and pulled at his hair, causing strands to tangle around his fingers.

"Nah, they're too concerned with Lila right now." Nino shrugged as he noticed that some of his books were gone. "Did you give up your shit?"

"Yeah." Adrien swallowed hard as his voice came out rough. "I did."

"Why?" Nino was surprised that he had outed all of his secrets.

"It was that or they would have searched the room." Adrien grabbed his hair again and licked his chapped lips. "I didn't want them finding Marinette's things too."

"You're in deep shit, aren't you?" Nino nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Pretty much. Yeah. I'm pretty fucked." Adrien groaned and hit his head back against the wall as he rested his forearms on his knees. "And she's gone."

"She's not gone, my dude. You know that and so do I… I haven't even been here and I know it." Nino rolled his eyes and pulled himself across Adrien's bed to sit beside him. "Dude. What the hell happened anyway?"

Adrien sighed and got lost in the story as he relayed the events to Nino and how it all began. By the end Adrien was holding back tears and holding his hands like claws, palms up, in front of him. "I had her in my arms, Nino. Bleeding. Dying. Barely there and then she just went limp. No one was helping me. No one came to save her. She was barely breathing." Adrien slowly looked up with swollen eyes that spilled tears as his bottom lip quivered. "I couldn't fix her. I couldn't fix it. I had no control over it. No say."

"But they saved her and she's in solitary. You do know that." Nino stared at his broken friend. Took in how he was hurting and there was nothing that he could do to fix it. "What are you going to tell Dr. Fu?"

"He knows everything." Adrien swallowed hard as he looked down between his bent knees. "Everything. I'm not leaving Nino. I never will be. Not now. Not now that they know."

"Know what?" Nino became confused and alarmed.

"About the-" Adrien raised his index finger above his head and lazily drew a circle.

"I'm not reading you, man." Nino was lost and more worried than before.

"Plagg. My looping negative thoughts manifest into a creature." Adrien gave up and explained it to them. "Ms. Bustier saw my drawings. Dr. Fu knows now. I'm fucked."

"Don't say that. That just means that they can work towards making you better." Nino knocked him in the shoulder, causing him to sway.

"No. It means more fucking pills. More therapy. More being tied down. Being stuck in this hell hole longer. I was almost free. So free I could feel it. I almost had a normal life. Taking Marinette out to dinner or a movie? To get dessert? I was so close, Nino. So close. But then fucking Lila ruined it." Adrien became angry as he spat her name. "The bitch broke Marinette and that broke me. I need to get better. I need out. I can't be here anymore. It's bad. It's not a good place to be, Nino. I want out."

"I know you do. And you will get out. Promise." Nino held his fist out and Adrien weakly knocked his against it as the door opened.

"Dr. Fu will see you now." Ms. Bustier gave a sad smile at the two of them.

"I'll come by more often." Nino smiled as he got up from the bed.

"Thanks, Nino. It was nice seeing you." Ms. Bustier smiled and he nodded at her.

"Anytime." Nino left the room, giving one last glance at his best friend.

"You ready? After your therapy is dinner. Then I need you to shower. It's been too long." Ms. Bustier held the door for him and he slowly walked towards her like he didn't care.

He really didn't care. He was done caring about himself. Done caring about living or being seen as attractive. Nothing mattered anymore to him.

Nurse Bustier led him to Dr. Fu's office and opened the door. "Dr. Fu you're three O' Clock is here."

"Let him in." Dr. Fu spoke with a stern tone and Adrien swallowed hard as he stepped inside. "You have many secrets, Adrien Agreste."

Adrien sighed and sat down on the couch beside a box of tissues. He assumed it was from whoever was before him. He licked his lips and waited for fate to take him to hell.

"I want to start out how we usually do. Draw how you see yourself." Dr. Fu passed him a piece of white paper and markers.

Adrien sighed as he took them, knowing that this was the start of something upsetting. He drew a small dot and handed it back to him.

"Alright. I'm going to assume that you feel small." Dr. Fu watched Adrien slowly nod. "And you're ashamed because you know what this is about."

Adrien nodded again as he hid in his hair. He held his hands in his lap to keep them from trembling.

"It's okay. I'm not going to punish you. I actually find it to be very admirable. Shows progress. You gave up your secrets and now we know that you seem to also have a manifestation of some kind. Plagg was it?" Dr. Fu smiled and wrote something in Adrien's chart. "When did that start?"

"Not long. He seems to come around when my thoughts are looping when I'm angry or upset. He's usually there right before I black out." Adrien swallowed hard as he explained himself.

"And does he tell you to hurt people?" Dr. Fu wrote something down and waited for his answer.

"No. He just tells me what I want to believe. Negative things." Adrien rubbed his bicep with his hand as he bounced his right knee. His anxiety raised with each word. "How is Marinette? When can I see her? Is she alive? Am I cra-? Nevermind. I am. She's gone."

"Adrien. You seem to have taken the trauma of seeing Marinette in her worst state and assigned it a concept to try and protect yourself. I can assure you that she is alive and in a room by herself. Same type of room that you were in for a while." Dr. Fu watched him to gauge his reaction. "She has an infection, but we are working to fight it. Now, I want to go over the items that we found in your room. I want to know where you got them."

"Nathalie supplied the bags, laxatives, and diet pills. I found the other items myself around here. Mostly at lunch or in the bathroom." Adrien swallowed hard as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Nathalie didn't supply those. You know that as much as I do." Dr. Fu waited for him to put it together.

Adrien clenched his hands into fists and bit his bottom lip as anger boiled up within him. "My father made her do it."

"Yes." Dr. Fu wrote down something. "He did. He's using her like he's…"

"Using me. Using Marinette." Adrien became more irritated with his father.

"You're twenty. Old enough to not listen to your father anymore. What did he do to you the night that Nathalie found you?" Dr. Fu waited for him to tell his side. "You never told me your side. All I've had is what's in your file and it's all what others saw. Not you. I want to hear what you know."

Adrien's breathing picked up as he thought about it. He had tried to block it out. Had told Marinette the gist of it, but he hadn't gone into much detail.

"My father took a belt to my back." Adrien swallowed hard as he barely explained anything. "That night."

"Does he usually do that to you?" Dr. Fu wrote it down and waited for him to continue.

"Not with a belt. Usually his fists. Shoves me. Hits me. Breaks things in his office often." Adrien swallowed hard as he remembered being a teenager. "My father's office was always filled with the sounds of shit breaking, but I was always told to pretend like it wasn't happening."

"Then he turned that into hurting you instead?" Dr. Fu wrote something down and stared at Adrien.

"No. He was hurting me at the same time, but it was only when I disappointed him. Only when I did something that he didn't like." Adrien swallowed hard as his anxiety rose. "Like right now. I'm probably disappointing him. I know I am. I missed a photoshoot."

"Yes, well… I took care of that. This is my hospital not some park or place to do photoshoots. I have a say. Your health is my top priority. Not a brand. I'm here to protect my guests. To protect you." Dr. Fu waved it off and Adrien peered at him with a shocked expression. "Look, if you want to see Marinette. I will let you, but you must promise me something."

"What? Anything." Adrien's voice came out desperate and full of hope as he became animated.

"I need you to really try to get better. Tell me everything. Stop hiding things from me. I am also going to add one more medication that should make this Plagg disappear. We don't need him hindering your progress. It will make you more drowsy, but I think you can handle it." Dr. Fu added a new med to his list.

"Thank you!" Adrien could have hugged the man. There was hope. Tears ran down his cheeks and he sniffed as his shoulders shook.

"There is always hope, Adrien. Even if you don't think you're going to get better? You will." Dr. Fu smiled at him and closed his chart. "You just had to want to heal yourself. We can give you the tools to heal, but it's ultimately your decision in the end on whether you use them or not."

Adrien stared at him with a new outlook. The man wasn't as bad as he thought he was. There was something else behind his stern exterior. Something different than he had seen previously.

"Ms. Bustier!" Dr. Fu called out and she opened the door.

"Yes?" Ms. Bustier peered from around the door and looked at a crying Adrien.

"Take Mr. Agreste to see Marinette." Dr. Fu didn't look up from the chart as he spoke, gesturing with his silver pen.

"Of course." Ms. Bustier was shocked that Dr. Fu had decided that. "Follow me."

Adrien grabbed the arm of the couch to help himself stand up on shaking legs. He walked with Nurse Bustier to his bedroom. He gathered a pair of jeans, a pair of red boxers, and an olive green t-shirt. He followed Nurse Bustier to the public bathroom and stripped down to shave in front of the attendant. He took his time to do that; before, he took his quick shower. He brushed and flossed his teeth, making sure they were to his liking. Adrien then combed his hair and got dressed.

He swallowed hard as he met up with Nurse Bustier again. "I have to warn you that she is not of sound mind. She's been in there a while. She may not recognize yo-"

"I got it." Adrien raised his hand and followed her to the far wing. "I've been there. So I know how it goes."

"I just thought that I should warn you before you see her in the state that she is in." Ms. Bustier swallowed hard as they walked down the dark hall. Screams echoed around them and took Adrien back to when he was locked up there. How lonely she must feel. How broken and scared. How the only friend that she had… was Tikki.

_Tikki..._ Plagg sneered and swirled around Adrien, ecstatic.

Adrien swallowed hard as Nurse Bustier unlocked her door for him.


	15. Chapter 15

The dark room was all too familiar to Adrien. He had been there more times than he would like to count. Had been staring at that ceiling for far too long and far too many times. Locked in a room with Plagg and strapped down to a bed that was not the most comfortable. He swallowed hard as he dropped his gaze to the bed; where Marinette was laying.

She was focused on the ceiling and holding absolutely still. The only thing that showed she was even alive was the movement of her gentle breathing.

"Marinette? I have someone to see you." Ms. Bustier walked up to the bed and undid the straps that laid across her body.

Marinette stared at her with a blank stare. She sat up and brought her knees to her chest, hiding in her arms that she had crossed over her knees.

Adrien stood with his hands in his pockets as he worried his bottom lip. He didn't know if he should approach her or not. He didn't know how she would react to seeing him. If she would believe that he was there or not. If the last time he had been taken from her was a look into how she would react? He could only imagine what this room had done to her.

"Adrien is here, sweetheart." Ms. Bustier peered over at Adrien and gestured for him to step closer.

"Marinette?" Adrien softly spoke as he stood in his spot. He didn't want to move too close or too quickly. "I'm here. Actually here."

Marinette slowly peered up through her dark hair and looked at him with tear filled eyes as her bottom lip quivered. Adrien took his hands from his pockets and held them up as he walked closer to her bed.

Nurse Bustier moved out of the way and stood by the door, getting out of his way.

"You're okay. It's okay. Promise." Adrien smiled for her as he gently sat on her bed.

Marinette suddenly lunged at him, shocking Nurse Bustier. She was ready to sedate the girl, when Adrien held up his hand for her to stop.

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt. Adrien pulled her into his lap and held her as she fell apart. She clutched at his shirt with her nails and Adrien ran his fingers through her hair.

"It's okay." Adrien softly spoke as he held her closer.

Nurse Bustier relaxed once she realized that Marinette wasn't attacking him. That she was upset and seeking comfort. She sighed and slowly left them alone in the room.

Adrien pushed Marinette away and held her face in his hands, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I am so so sorry. I should have known that blade was bad. I should have known that it would get infected. I'm sorry that I supplied you with something to use. I'm sorry that I couldn't fix you." Adrien pulled her close again and held her head against his chest.

She closed her eyes and took in the scent of his soap and clothing. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him as close as possible to her, clinging to him like he'd disappear.

"I'm really here. Promise." Adrien pushed her away to touch her chin with his thumb. He dipped his head down to capture her lips and she gripped his shirt to pull him closer as she deepened the kiss. Adrien took his thumb from her chin and slipped his hand into her hair.

"Not- you- fault." Marinette tried to speak, but her throat was dry. "Mine. All mine." She cried with her forehead pressed against his. She gasped for air and hugged him tight again. "I want out. Please." Marinette curled more into his lap as she struggled to get closer to him. "Take me away from here. Please." Her voice was weak and muffled by tears. "I don't want Tikki anymore. I just want you. Only you."

"I know, baby. But there is something you need to know." Adrien wiped the tears from beneath her eyes. "I gave all of my stuff that I was hiding to Ms. Bustier. Including my sketches. She knows about Plagg and so does Dr. Fu." Adrien swallowed hard and waited for Marinette's reaction.

"Why would you do that?" Marinette held him away at arms length with a worried expression.

"I'm tired of hiding. They were going to search the room if I didn't. It's okay. I got another med to make Plagg disappear. You should tell Nurse Bustier about Tikki." Adrien searched her broken gaze as she became worried.

"No, they'll be angry with me. I'll be stuck here forever. They'll never let me out." Marinette became upset as Tikki swirled around her.

"I thought the same, but they weren't. Marinette. Do it if not for yourself, but for me too." Adrien touched her cheek with a soft hand and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. "Please."

Marinette worried her lip and hid in her hair as she nodded. "Okay."

"I can't say if they are letting you out of here today, but I'm glad that I know you're alright." Adrien smiled for her and she began to cry again as she realized that he wasn't there to free her. He wasn't going to save her like a knight in shining armor. "I wasn't told that you were being let go."

Marinette buried her face into his shirt and sobbed as she clutched onto it. "I don't want to be in here. I don't want it. I want out."

"I know, baby. I know. It's hard in here. Believe me." Adrien sighed as he looked over his shoulder to see Nurse Bustier peering through the window. "I'm running out of time."

"No! Don't leave. Please!" Marinette tugged on his shirt and sobbed harder, feeling her stomach twist and her heart catch fire. "PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH- PLEASE!"

"I'm sorry. I have no say." Adrien clung to her harder and rocked her as he tried to calm her down. "I can't save you. You have to be strong and save yourself. I'll be waiting for you."

"No! Don't! Please!" Marinette clutched at him as he grabbed her hands to pull her away from himself as Nurse Bustier walked back into the room.

"Alright, pills then back to bed with you." Ms. Bustier smiled as she helped to keep her from clinging to Adrien. Marinette fought against her as she passed Marinette the cup of pills and a cup of water.

Marinette knocked them from Nurse Bustier's hands and Adrien sighed as he shook his head. He quickly moved behind Marinette and sat against the wall pulling her into his lap, facing away from him. She fought against him and he held her still as Nurse Bustier poured new pills into his hand. She carried extras just in case a guest dropped them.

"You have to take these to get better. To be with me. You don't want to be stuck here, do you?" Adrien softly spoke in Marinette's ear and watched her pant as she calmed slightly. He pressed a pill to Marinette's mouth and watched her part her lips enough for him to shove a pill in, as she cried. Adrien nodded to Nurse Bustier and she gave him the water.

Marinette grabbed the cup from him and reluctantly swallowed the pill. She took the pills from Adrien's palm and continued to take them until they were gone.

"Good girl." Adrien pressed a kiss to her cheek and felt her relax against his body after she opened her mouth and showed that she had taken them to Nurse Bustier.

Nurse Bustier took the cup from her hand and threw it into a trashcan on her cart.

Marinette grabbed his hand and turned it over, looking at the bandage across his knuckles. She grabbed his other hand to do the same. She peered over her shoulder at him with a curious expression.

"Kind of gave Lila probably more than she deserved." Adrien softly chuckled with a smirk as Marinette pressed soft kisses to his knuckles.

"Thank you." Marinette softly spoke loud enough for only him to hear.

"You're welcome, baby." Adrien ran his fingers through her hair.

"Would you like to eat dinner with her?" Ms. Bustier smiled as she offered for them to spend some more time together.

"Please." Adrien smiled up at Nurse Bustier and watched her nod.

"I'll be back." Ms. Bustier left to get them food.

"I'm scared." Marinette shivered in his arms and he scooped her up.

Adrien laid her down on the bed and got comfortable beside her. She moved against the wall to make more room for him, but he grabbed her hips to pull her closer.

"Don't be scared. I'm here." Adrien pressed a kiss to her soft lips and she pulled him closer to herself.

She felt like she couldn't get close enough. "It's so lonely in here. I'm losing my mind. Slowly."

"When I was in here… I felt the same. Solitary doesn't really help. Just makes you deal with your demons in the worst way possible. Brings more out of you. Your mind has no choice but to torture you with thoughts that you didn't want to have. Things that you were in denial about." Adrien sighed as he thought about it. "Lose track of days and the only way to keep track is by meals."

Nurse Bustier walked back into the room and Adrien pulled away from Marinette to sit up. Marinette scrambled to sit up beside him as she passed them trays of food.

"I'll just organize my cart a bit while you two eat." Ms. Bustier tried to give them some privacy.

Adrien set the tray on his lap and picked up the spork. He poked at the mashed potatoes on his tray. Marinette stared at him and waited for him to lift the food to his mouth. His hand trembled as he brought the bite to his lips. He closed his mouth around it and covered his mouth as he chewed.

Marinette took some of her own onto her spork and closed her mouth around the bite. Nurse Bustier watched over her shoulder as the two ate their food in silence. She took note of how Adrien didn't hide any of his food. How he took small shakey bites of the potatoes.

Adrien stared at Marinette for a moment and watched her stab a piece of her chicken. She was beautiful and he got lost in her. How she held her spork between her thumb and index finger. How she slowly chewed her food in bliss with her eyes closed. How her hair caught the light and reflected like the night sky. She brought her spork up to her lips and caught his gaze.

"Are you going to eat too?" Marinette whispered at him and he smirked at her.

"Yeah. Sorry. I got distracted." Adrien blushed as he thought about how pretty she was, even with her dark rings from a lack of sleep. He cleared his throat and stabbed his own piece of chicken with his spork.

"Will you stay with me while I talk to Ms. Bustier?" Marinette whispered and Adrien nodded as he hid behind his hand to chew his food.

"Of course." Adrien softly spoke and smiled at her.

They continued to eat until their trays were mostly empty. Adrien passed his tray to Nurse Bustier. She put the trays on her cart and wiped her hands on her uniform.

"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at Marinette and peered over at Adrien.

"Can- can I talk to you?" Marinette barely got the words out loud enough for Nurse Bustier to hear her.

"Of course." Ms. Bustier stood and stared at her with a warm smile.

Adrien took Marinette's hand as it trembled. "It's okay." Adrien mouthed to Marinette and watched her nod and take a deep breath.

"I wanted to talk to you about- about something. Um…" Marinette worried her bottom lip and Nurse Bustier waited patiently.

"Take your time." Ms. Bustier warmly smiled at her.

"I um… I have stuff hiding in my room too." Marinette hid in her hair and Adrien wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I wouldn't doubt that. Adrien had quite a bit hiding. Would you like to show me?" Ms. Bustier held her hand out. "We can stop by on the way to the restroom."

Marinette stood up with Adrien and Nurse Bustier led them out of the room. They walked down the dark hallway where screams and crying echoed around them. Marinette held onto his bicep as she flinched at each pounding fist and each blood curdling scream.

"It's not pretty. I wish I could say that I wasn't like one of those people, but I was." Adrien softly spoke to Marinette as they walked. "Screamed, cried, begged for freedom… It wasn't pretty."

Marinette nodded as she focused on the tile as they walked. She counted each grey one among the white ones as she walked. _One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three… Bang! One. Two. Three... Scream! One. Two. Three... Cry. One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three..._

"Alright, here we are." Ms. Bustier opened their door for them and Adrien led her inside of their room.

Marinette pulled away from Adrien and climbed onto her bed. She missed how it felt. Missed being free to lay on it and peer over to see Adrien in his. Missed the feeling of being with someone. She shook off the thought and grabbed a sketchbook from the shelf. Inside of it was a red notebook. It was thin and small.

Marinette swallowed hard as Tikki swirled around her.

"What are you doing, girl?" Tikki clung to her shoulders as she tried to pull her away from doing it. "Why?"

_I'm sorry, Tikki. I can't anymore. Adrien is trying so hard to get better and I need to too. _

"You'll be stuck here. Forever." Tikki hissed as she spiraled around Marinette's neck. "They'll never set you free. No movie dates… no dinner dates… no secret rendezvous. Nothing."

_If Adrien is stuck here then I won't mind it. All that matters is that I have him. _Marinette passed the notebook to Nurse Bustier.

"Is that all?" Ms. Bustier raised an eyebrow at Marinette and waited for a response.

"Top shelf, beneath her other sketchbooks." Adrien ratted Marinette out and she quickly turned to flash him a horrified look. "You can't hide stuff anymore. I want to leave here with you, baby."

Nurse Bustier set the small notebook on the bed and reached up beneath the sketchbooks to find a metal piece. It was less rusted than Adrien's stash had been, but still was unsafe. She pocketed it and then picked up the notebook. Nurse Bustier stared at her as she opened the front cover.

She found sketches upon sketches of a red creature with sharp teeth and claws. Most cases she was slender and like a veil of smoke with black sharp eyes and a wide mouth.

"So, you have a friend too. Does it have a name?" Ms. Bustier smiled at Marinette.

Marinette clutched onto Adrien, who nudged her gently with his shoulder to make her talk. "It's alright. Tell her."

She took a deep breath as her voice shook, tears fell from her eyes as she relied on Adrien to keep her on her feet. "Tikki." Marinette whispered the name past her lips and Nurse Bustier nodded.

Nurse Bustier took out a pen from her pocket and wrote her creature's name across the cover of the notebook. "Is there anything else that you might be hiding from me?"

Marinette let go of Adrien and crawled under her bed to take out a sewing kit. She passed it over to Nurse Bustier and she took it from her.

"What is this used for? I mean, besides the obvious." Ms. Bustier peered at Marinette and waited.

"Can I show her? Is it still there?" Adrien touched Marinette's cheek and brushed her hair out of her face.

Marinette nodded and waited for him to show Nurse Bustier what she did with it. Adrien touched the skirt of her dress and Nurse Bustier immediately didn't know if she wanted to know about it.

Adrien shook his head at her to tell her to calm down. He pulled her dress up her thigh, right above her left hip. Adrien pushed the side of her panties down slightly and revealed a small letter 'A' drawn with thread. It was embroidered in navy thread and was red around the areas that weaved into her skin due to irritation.

"She sews into her skin with thread." Adrien explained and Nurse Bustier nodded as he dropped her dress back down.

"I got that; however, I'm wondering how we didn't catch that while we were working on you after your incident." Ms. Bustier was confused by the whole ordeal. She should have seen it, but she could have also just glossed over it. She could have been too distracted by her arm wounds to take note of it. The hospital was a hectic place and she often lost track of things.

"I usually take it out shortly after I do it." Marinette spoke in a broken voice as she held her hand out for the sewing kit.

Nurse Bustier kept it in her hand and refused to give it back. "I'll get proper scissors to remove them from your skin."

Marinette nodded as she dropped her hand to her side. Adrien grabbed her waist and pulled her close to himself.

"It's okay." He whispered against her shoulder and Marinette nodded, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I love you." Marinette faintly spoke against his shirt; before, Nurse Bustier led them out of the room and to a medical supply cart. She grabbed a pair of scissors that were used to remove sutures and took them back to their room.

"Alright. I'd say you may feel a bit of pressure, but you are probably used to it." Ms. Bustier smiled as Marinette slowly lifted her dress up and pushed the side of her panties down for her to cut the threads. She used tweezers to pull the stitches from her skin. "Last one." She pulled the last thread, disinfected the area, and Marinette dropped her dress back down. "How about we go clean up now?"

Marinette nodded and walked over to grab a pair of pink pajama pants and black lace panties with a matching bralette. Adrien stopped her from grabbing a white shirt from her drawer that had flowers on it.

"Here." Adrien walked over to his drawer and pulled out a black deep v-neck shirt. He passed her it and she took it from him. "So, you have something of mine with you in there. And… hang on."

Marinette watched him grab the back of his shirt and pull it over his head. He tossed it at her and took a clean white shirt from his drawer to replace it with. She watched him pull the hem down around his hips. "So, you can pretend I'm in there with you too." Adrien kissed her cheek and she blushed.

"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at her and held out her hand.

Marinette began to tremble as she realized that it was good-bye. She didn't want to leave Adrien. She didn't want to be apart any longer. She ran and wrapped her arms around his neck and clutched at his clothing.

Adrien wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You have to go clean up. I'll be waiting right here." Adrien peered over her shoulder at Nurse Bustier.

Nurse Bustier nodded at him. "I'll have you back to say goodnight and goodbye for now. Not forever."

Adrien nodded and pried Marinette from his body. "I'll see you in a bit."

Marinette went to grab onto him again and he pushed her towards Nurse Bustier.

"C'mon, sweetheart." Ms. Bustier smiled and took her hand to lead her to the bathroom. "Leave his green shirt with him and we can grab it when we get back."

Marinette passed Adrien his shirt and he smiled as he waved at her. She reluctantly followed Nurse Bustier down the hall towards the bathroom. Nurse Bustier opened the door and let her inside. She waited for Marinette to strip down and shave. She then stepped into the showers and slowly cleaned her body and hair. The water felt good on her skin. She ran her fingers along the holes where the thread had been laced through. Marinette took all of the time that was allowed for her to get clean.

She walked out to dry off and get dressed before she stood in front of a mirror to brush her hair and teeth.

"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at her and held out her hand for her.

Marinette nodded and didn't take her hand. Nurse Bustier dropped her hand and opened the door to lead her back to Adrien's room. She walked slowly behind Nurse Bustier, wanting to prolong her time to get to solitary. She sighed, as they reached the door and Nurse Bustier opened it.

Adrien suddenly wrapped his arms around her and her eyes widened as he burst into tears.

Nurse Bustier became alarmed as she watched him embrace her like his life depended on it. Like if he let her go then she would be gone.

Her damp hair felt wet against his cheek and irritated him, but he didn't care. He didn't want to let her go. Didn't want her to go away. His heart pounded in his chest and felt like it was up in his throat. Marinette blinked, as she raised her hands to grip onto his shirt. He trembled and his knees nearly buckled. Marinette pushed him towards his bed and fell with him onto it.

Nurse Bustier covered her mouth as she watched Adrien fall apart and hide his face into her shirt. How his fingers gripped onto her shirt as he trembled and gasped for air. Marinette suddenly burst into tears of her own as she wrapped her thigh over his hips and hugged him closer.

"I don't want to let you go. I don't want you back in that room. You don't deserve that room. I do. If I could take your place I would." Adrien burst out the words in between tears.

Marinette shook her head. "No. Don't say that." She gasped the words out as she clung to him. She brushed his hair from his eyes and kissed his lips with gentle pecks. She kissed along his cheeks and then his forehead. Marinette sniffed and quietly cried as she ran her fingers through his soft hair. "I'd rather be in there than you."

Adrien shook his head and touched her face to capture her lips over and over again. "No. You're wrong."

"I'm never wrong." Marinette gave him a stubborn expression that caused Adrien to chuckle.

"You win. You're always right." Adrien smirked and pressed his forehead to hers as she softly giggled.

"I don't want to go." Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck again and held him closer with her leg.

Nurse Bustier tapped her chin as she thought about what to do. She knew that she had to separate them. She worked for Dr. Fu. This wasn't her hospital to run. She watched them continue to comfort one another until it got to where she needed to walk away. She walked outside of the room as Marinette grabbed onto Adrien and pulled him on top of her in a passionate kiss.

Nurse Bustier walked down the hall and towards Dr. Fu's office. His door was closed and she knew that he must have been with a patient inside. She heard crying and anger filled talking through the door. She worried her bottom lip as she thought about what she was going to say for a moment.

The door opened and Ivan walked out with another nurse. Dr. Fu stared at Nurse Bustier when she slipped in after they had left.

"I need to speak with you." Ms. Bustier sighed as she watched him place the file away in the bookshelf behind him.

"Alright. What about?" Dr. Fu searched her eyes as she nervously played with her hands.

"It's about Marinette. She was also hiding a few items. I confiscated them." Ms. Bustier set the blade, sewing kit, and notebook down.

Dr. Fu reached across to grab the items. He looked over the cover of the red notebook with a raised eyebrow. "Tikki?" He opened it and saw the drawings of the red creature. "So, she has one too."

"She does. Yes." Ms. Bustier admitted to him as he opened the sewing case. "Also, she sews into her skin."

"I figured. Alright, I'll see her in the morning. Is she back in the far wing?" Dr. Fu set the items off to the side.

"No. That was another thing I wanted to discuss with you." Ms. Bustier swallowed hard as she waited for him to listen to her.

"Then where is she?" Dr. Fu rested his arms on the top of his desk and waited.

"With Adrien in their room. They are right now crying and are inseparable. I fear splitting them apart again." Ms. Bustier swallowed hard as she waited to be scolded. To be told off for not keeping her in the far wing and for leaving her alone with Adrien. "I don't know if my heart can handle it."

"Show me." Dr. Fu stood up from his desk and Nurse Bustier got in the way of the door with her arms spread out.

"Give them some time." Ms. Bustier begged him with her gaze and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Trust me."

"Very well." Dr. Fu sat back down to go over charts again.

000

Adrien gripped Marinette's thigh with his hand as he pumped in and out of her. He panted against her shoulder as he kissed along her damp skin, trailing kisses up her neck. Adrien smirked and captured her lips with his in a heated kiss that left her breathless and wanting more.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer by his thigh and the middle of his back as she dug her nails into his soft skin. Adrien moaned and buried his face into her neck. She clung to him and he felt her whole body tense up as she raised her hips to meet his movements with her own.

"Don't stop." Marinette's voice came out in a quiet moan and Adrien groaned in response.

He felt her walls caress and coax him towards the edge and he let out a deep moan. "Ah, shit." He gripped the sheets as he continued to move within her in the same rhythm.

Marinette panted in short bursts of moans as she got close until she stopped breathing for a moment. A shiver ran through her whole body as she continued to press herself against his body.

He bent down to capture one of her peaked nipples into his mouth and she burst out, clutching at his back and thigh with her nails as she came hard.

Adrien panted and moaned as he waited for her to come down. She relaxed and he lifted her ankles onto his shoulders to pump into her deeper and harder. She peered at him through her lashes and suddenly grabbed his thighs as she parted her lips and got lost in his lust filled gaze. She took in how his cheeks were flushed and how his damp hair fell in front of his emerald eyes.

"I'm gonna cum." He dropped her legs and fell into his forearms, thrusting into her harder. She slammed a hand above her head and braced against the wall as he pumped into her harder. Adrien buried his face into her neck and moaned as he came. She gripped his ass in her other hand, feeling his muscles move beneath his skin as he moved within her. He slowed his pace as Marinette caught her breath.

A knock sounded on the door and he quickly jumped off of her and pulled his pants up. He fastened them and zipped them up as he tugged his shirt down. Marinette quickly shoved on her pajama pants and pulled her shirt down. Adrien saw her panties on the floor. He quickly snatched them up and pocketed them before Dr. Fu walked in with a very apologetic looking Nurse Bustier.

Adrien combed his fingers through his messy hair as Marinette did the same to her own.

"Good evening." Dr. Fu smiled at the two of them as he watched them get situated on the bed like they were innocent.


	16. Chapter 16

**Note: I love Ben Platt and Hadestown. I really want to see that musical one day. It's one of my favorite myths. I didn't know anyone else was listening to those. haha**

Marinette sat on her hands and peered down at her lap with flushed cheeks. Adrien cleared his throat behind his hand with an arm crossed over his chest. He tried to hide his blush, but it wasn't working out.

"How are you two doing?" Dr. Fu sat across from them, on Marinette's bed, and stared at the two of them with their files in his hands. He pretended to play dumb when he put two and two together. It wasn't that hard for him to figure out why Nurse Bustier had stalled him.

"Fine." Adrien barely got the word out as he tried to calm his breathing to a normal pace.

Marinette didn't say much as her thoughts looped and went a mile a minute. She was worried about her future. Was she going to be stuck there forever? Would she be free? Was she ever going to get out of there and back with her family?

"I have something here that I wanted to talk to Marinette about. Will you speak with me for a moment?" Dr. Fu touched the stack of charts on his lap for a moment as he focused his gaze on Marinette.

Marinette nodded without a word and went to stand up to leave to his office. She was ready to be told that she would never leave the far wing.

"I don't mean in the office. We can speak right here if you are more comfortable." Dr. Fu peered over at Adrien and watched him grab Marinette's hand to pull her into his lap. He smiled with a nod, realizing how close they were. He peered over at Nurse Bustier and watched her try to look away. "I wanted to talk about this little red book, called Tikki."

Marinette flinched and Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closer. She swallowed hard and didn't want to answer. She was scared to talk about it.

"I've told Adrien this same thing. So, I'll tell you now. You telling us about Tikki is not going to keep you here. It is going to progress you further. We aren't upset with you. I'm not mad at you. I'm proud that you have handed this over." Dr. Fu opened the notebook and flipped through the pages. "Now that you know where we stand... Would you like to tell me about this Tikki?"

Marinette swallowed hard as she thought about it. "Tikki… is my looping thoughts. I don't know when I associated her with them. I don't know when it manifested. I'm not even sure what she really is. I just know she comes around when I'm upset. She tells me what I want to hear and not what I should be hearing." It was like a dam broke and her words flew out of her mouth in between sobs. "I don't know anything about her, but please don't lock me back up. Please don't take Adrien away again. PLEASE!"

"Calm down. Deep breaths. I didn't say that I was going to put you back in the far wing. I didn't say that I was taking Adrien away from you. I need you to calm down for a moment and focus for me. Just relax." Dr. Fu stopped in the middle of writing something in her chart and focused on her. "I care very much for your well-being and if being in the far wing is making it worse then I don't want to put you through it anymore. Now, Ms. Bustier has brought it to my attention that you two seem to work well together and push each other to get better. You need to get better for yourselves, not just one another. However, I am glad that you have found a support system within one another. Now, going back to this Tikki… I want to put you on the same medication as Adrien. I also want to continue to work towards getting these looping thoughts to stop. So, here's what I propose. It has worked with some guests. Not all… but some."

Marinette looked up at Dr. Fu with a shocked expression and Adrien kissed her cheek as he played with her hair.

"I'm going to give you lavender oil. Both of you." Dr. Fu gestured between Adrien and Marinette with his silver pen. "Whenever you have a thought that makes you panic or worry? I want you to put some on your palm. Then you are going to rub it between your hands and rub it on your neck. Think of a happy memory. I don't care what it is. Go there while you breathe it in. Rub it behind your earlobes and then bring your hands to your nose and mouth. Breathe it in while you keep that happy memory in your mind. If you keep doing that then it will rewire your mind to think of that when you panic. It should be subconsciously triggered eventually. Got it?"

"Got it." Adrien swallowed hard and nodded as he watched Dr. Fu take note of it.

"Marinette?" Dr. Fu peered at her and waited for her to answer.

"Thank you." Marinette's voice was quiet as she peered at him through her dark hair.

"I'll have Ms. Bustier bring you two the lavender oil later. As of now… I say that we keep you together, once again. I won't separate you two anymore unless I see that one of you is a threat to the other." Dr. Fu closed their charts and stood up. "Now, get some rest. No more playing for the night." He winked at them and Marinette flung her hands to her face and blushed redder than before.

Adrien hid in his hair and awkwardly smiled as he nodded. "Thanks."

"We're here to help. Remember that." Dr. Fu smiled and walked out of the room with Nurse Bustier.

Marinette fell off of Adrien's lap with her hands over her eyes. "I want to die…"

Adrien laid back beside her and rolled onto his side, leaning on his elbow. He rolled her towards himself and moved her hands. "Do you really?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"No… but the embarrassment was enough for today." Marinette groaned as her cheeks felt hotter.

Adrien burst out laughing and shook his head as he pulled her panties from his pocket and dangled them over her face. "You can only hide so much."

She squealed and snatched them from his hand, throwing them beneath her. "_Adrien!_"

Adrien chuckled as he laid on his back with one knee drawn up and one of his hands behind his head. He picked at the sheets with his other hand and sighed, "I cannot wait to get out of here. Go on a proper date with you. Take you to my favorite places to hide out at..."

Marinette cuddled against his side and wrapped a leg over his hips. She drew circles on his chest and focused on her finger as it swirled along his soft shirt. "Like… what kinds of places?"

Adrien chuckled and grabbed her hand to press a kiss against her knuckles. "Usually rooftops, honestly. Some of the small family owned businesses. Clubs… bars… Nino used to DJ at one before he got locked up in here. Sometimes I just hang out at libraries and get lost in the shelves. Ooo! Arcades! I love arcades." Adrien became excited and she had never seen him so ecstatic about something. "I also miss my baby."

Marinette perked up at his words and sat up with a worried expression. Adrien suddenly sat up and peered at her. "What? What did I say?" He looked at her as she began to worry that he was taken and hadn't told her about it.

"Are you? Do you? I- I never asked what you had outside of this place. I'm so- sorry." Marinette hid in her hair as she felt guilty for taking him from another hopeless girl.

Adrien became alarmed as it put it all together. He touched her chin and brought her gaze to his. He watched her bottom lip tremble and her tears fall down her cheeks. "I don't have a girlfriend outside of here. I don't have a love interest outside of here. It's just you. I meant-" Adrien shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I meant my car. I have a nice car that I call my baby. Well, had a nice car. God knows if I still have it. My dad may have sold it."

"What kind?" Marinette pulled her face away to wipe her tears, feeling like a complete idiot.

"It's a black Acura NSX." Adrien smirked at her and watched her get confused. "It has the body style of a lambo. Dual clutch system." Marinette became more confused and he sighed with a chuckle. "It has paddles on the sides of the steering wheel instead of the traditional stick." He made motions with his hands to explain the two for her and she nodded, laughing at herself. "Dual clutch is faster than single clutch. Makes the car go from zero to sixty faster."

"I'd love to see it sometime." Marinette smiled and cuddled beside him again.

"I'd love to do more than show you it. I'd love to drive you around the city in it." Adrien chuckled as he thought about his car. "Maybe I'd love to show you the backseat though." He peered over at her and waited for her to hear what he had said.

It didn't take her long to understand. He heard her gasp and felt her smack him with her hand, causing him to burst out laughing and hold his chest where she had hit him.

"Ow, that really hurt." Adrien laughed harder as he began to tickle her, causing her to giggle and roll off his bed.

She groaned at the pain in her arms as she laid on the floor. Adrien pulled himself over the side and peered down at her with a concerned expression. "You okay?"

Marinette just laid there and giggled as she looked up at him. He smirked and left from the edge to grab his pillow. He suddenly leaned over the edge and threw the soft pillow at her. She groaned and laughed harder as the pillow hit her in the face.

"Not fair. I'm unarmed." Marinette giggled as she got up and threw the pillow back at him.

Adrien laughed and threw the pillow back at her. She caught it and ran at him, shoving him back onto the bed. He fell onto his back with his hands above his head as she straddled his hips with the pillow in her hands. He smirked up at her and waited for her to smother him or hit him with the fluffy object.

"So, what are you gonna do Ms. Marinette?" Adrien stared at her with a dangerous expression that only made heat pool between her thighs. He watched her cheeks flush and her eyelids lower as she brought her bottom lip between her teeth. "You have me trapped."

Marinette placed the pillow on top of his hands and wrists, leaning over him with her hair falling around his face in a curtain. She searched his sultry emerald eyes and worried her bottom lip.

She watched him slowly part his lips and slowly flick his top lip with the tip of his tongue. A moan escaped from her lips and betrayed her, giving her away. Adrien watched her and raised his hips to press his arousal against her sex. She softly moaned, grinding her hips against him. Teasing him and causing him to let out a breathy moan.

"Marinette." Adrien spoke her name like a prayer and she bent down to steal a kiss from his lips. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and flicked her top one. She moaned and sank into him as they grinded against one another, seeking satisfaction through their tight clothing. She slid her hands beneath the pillow and intertwined her fingers with his as she swirled her tongue around his. He brushed his lips against hers as she ran her tongue along his. He groaned and she slid her fingers from his to break the kiss.

Adrien softly moaned as he looked up at her with swollen lips. "Fuck me." He begged her in a tone that spoke more than his words.

She softly mewled and worried her bottom lip as she rocked her hips against him. Adrien brought his hands to her jeans, beginning to undo the button and zipper.

"Wait. I- I can't." Marinette gasped for breath as she remembered and began to panic. "Shit." She got off of him and grabbed her head in her hands.

Adrien sat up realizing that something was wrong. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" He touched her arm and she shook her head.

She grabbed her hair and slowly looked up at him as tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm on the pill."

"Yeah… you told me that already… And?" Adrien tried to understand why she was so upset.

"We had sex." Marinette began to slowly explain between tears and her panicked breaths.

"True. So?" Adrien was becoming quickly frustrated. His heart began to pound in his chest as he tried to understand what she was getting at.

"You came inside of me." Marinette stood up and began to pace as she used her hands to gesture.

"Okay. Just get to the point. You're killing me here." Adrien sat on the edge of his bed and pulled at his hair as he watched her pace back and forth incessantly.

"I'm on antibiotics." Marinette burst out as she stopped to stare at him with widened eyes.

"Okay... " Adrien thought for a moment and then froze up. "Oh fuck."

"I know! I KNOW!" Marinette went back to pacing with an arm crossed over her chest, biting her nails.

Adrien sat there for a moment, not saying a word. He opened his mouth to speak and then quickly shut it. He cleared his throat and stood up. He grabbed her arm and pulled her against his body. Adrien ran his fingers through her hair. "It'll be okay. Just because we fucked up once, doesn't mean anything."

"But it doesn't mean I won't end up- end up- there can _not_ be a baby in this damn hell hole." Marinette burst out and Adrien shushed her.

"Look, I doubt you will be. And even if you end up being… that way- we'll deal with it. Don't worry about it until it happens." Adrien quickly recovered what he said for a moment. "Not saying that it will! I'm just saying that-"

"I GET IT ADRIEN!" Marinette burst out and shoved him away as she fell onto her bed.

Nurse Bustier ran in to see what the commotion was about. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Adrien sat on his bed and ran his hand over his face. He couldn't even get himself to say it to Nurse Bustier. He didn't want to say it. Didn't want to admit how stupid they had been in the heat of the moment. How they hadn't even thought about the antibiotics.

"I'm on antibiotics." Marinette burst into tears as she hid in her hair. "I forgot they cancel birth control pills."

Nurse Bustier thought for a moment and worried her bottom lip as she sat down beside Marinette. "It's okay. It's my fault. I should have known to tell you and I didn't do that. I should have reminded you, but just because you screwed up one time… doesn't mean that you will get pregnant for sure. I can give you an emergency contraceptive, if you want. But only if you want to."

Marinette looked at a worried Adrien as he pulled his hair and slowly peered up to catch her gaze. He was heartbroken and worried for her. They didn't even know if she was. She wasn't even close to her period. Plus it had just happened. It would take several weeks to find out whether she was or not. She swallowed hard and tried to think of what was best.

She took a deep breath and slammed her palms down on the bed. "No. I fucked up and so I'll take the responsibility. If it happens it happens."

"_We _fucked up. Not just you." Adrien spoke with a broken voice as he cleared his throat and got up to sit beside her. He took her hand and ran his thumb along the back of her knuckles. Adrien brought her hand to his lips.

"Since you two are active… I'll get you an alternative contraception." Ms. Bustier smiled at Marinette and touched her thigh before she stood up.

Adrien and Marinette blushed as they watched her leave. Nurse Bustier ran into a frantic Chloe in the hallway.

"Yes, Chloe?" Ms. Bustier jumped and grabbed her scrubs as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Sabrina is on the edge of the smoking porch. She's talking about jumping." Chloe was in a panic at the thought of her girlfriend jumping.

"Okay. Calm down for me." Ms. Bustier tried to calm Chloe down when she heard gasps and screams. "Oh god." She suddenly left Chloe to run to the common area.

The group of guests were huddled around the porch with their hands over their mouths.

"What is the point?" Sabrina burst out as she let go with one hand. She dangled one foot over the edge and looked down. The ground shifted and became blurry as she looked at the greenery below. "Why even try?"


	17. Chapter 17

Nurse Bustier stood in the doorway of the balcony. "Sabrina?" She raised her hands and calmly spoke to her. "Honey?"

"DON'T HONEY ME!" Sabrina became angry as she stared at Nurse Bustier with a glare. "You know NOTHING about how I feel!"

"You're right. I don't. But I do know that you have a best friend that is worried about you. Maybe someone more special than a best friend, but a friend nonetheless. I need you to come back over that railing." Ms. Bustier tried to coax her back over.

Sabrina looked down below her and tested letting go. Everyone gasped and Chloe fell to the ground and screamed with her eyes clenched tightly.

Nurse Bustier tried to remain calm as Sabrina grabbed the railing again. "Listen to me. It'll get better. I promise."

"You all say that. You all say that it gets better, but WHEN? When will it get better?" Sabrina burst into tears as she clung to the wood. "That's everyone's go to phrase! Everyone has to say that to try and make you feel better! But does it really help anyone? Does it really make anyone feel better? No matter how many times you say that? It means NOTHING! Because you don't know what it's like in here!" Sabrina took one hand off to angrily point at her head. "You don't live in there!"

"Oh fuck this!" Adrien came bursting through the common area and past Nurse Bustier.

"Adrien stop." Ms. Bustier went to grab him as he walked past, but he glared over his shoulder at her.

"Talking won't do shit." Adrien hissed at her as he got close to Sabrina.

Sabrina looked at him in shock as he walked up to her. Her heart raced as she backed up more, letting only her fingertips hold her in place.

"Stop. I will let go." Her eyes were wild and her chest rose and fell fast as she panicked.

"Then let go." Adrien set his hands on either side of hers. "But… I will yank you back over this damn railing if you do."

"You wouldn't dare…" Sabrina glared at him as she set her jaw.

"Why are you even doing this?" Adrien searched her eyes and challenged her.

"They took my stuff. The stuff that means so much to me. The things that I wasn't ready to let go of." Sabrina sniffed as she became sad and her body trembled. "Took the things I had collected."

"You mean the trash that you found." Adrien stared at her tear filled gaze. "It's not important stuff."

"It is! If I don't keep it then who will love it! If I don't then who will love them!" Sabrina screamed out at Adrien and her fingers became weak as she lost her grip on the banister. She gasped and screamed as she slipped down.

"God- damnit!" Adrien quickly hopped up onto the banister and caught her by her wrists. He yanked her back up and over the banister. Adrien scooped her into his arms and she broke down against him with her arms wrapped around her neck.

"Chloe loves you. Your family loves you. Everyone in this room loves you and is worried about you right at this very moment." Adrien spoke in a soothing voice that only she could hear. "Just because you feel like no one will love someone or something? Doesn't mean that no one will or does. Just because you feel like no one loves you? Doesn't mean that you won't be loved or that you are not loved. Look around this room."

Sabrina slowly lifted her head and peered at all of the worried people. She sniffed as she saw how Rose was being comforted by Juleka. At all of the couples holding one another. Her gaze finally rested on Chloe, who was crying on the floor with her head against her drawn up knees and her arms over her head.

"Let me down." Sabrina whispered and Adrien stared at her a bit longer to make sure that she wasn't going to bolt back to the porch. "I need to go see Chloe."

Adrien nodded and set her down. She walked over to Chloe and touched her head. Chloe flinched and trembled, refusing to look up at Sabrina.

Sabrina crouched down and rested her forehead against the top of Chloe's head. "Chloe?" Sabrina's voice was small as she tested it.

Chloe waited for Sabrina to stop resting her forehead on her before she uncurled and wrapped her arms around her. She burst into tears as she clung to Sabrina.

"Don't ever do that again!" Chloe screamed at her in the middle of her sobs.

"I won't. I'm sorry." Sabrina ran her fingers through Chloe's hair.

Chloe clutched at Sabrina's shirt as she sobbed into it. "You scared me!"

"I'm really sorry." Sabrina touched her chin and raised her saddened gaze up to meet hers. She searched Chloe's eyes for a moment.

Chloe whimpered and grabbed her face to pull her down into a kiss. Sabrina sighed and tangled her fingers into her hair to deepen it.

Nurse Bustier touched Adrien's shoulder with her hand. "Thank you."

"You can't always use your fancy words to help people. Sometimes you have to just do something. There is limited time." Adrien smirked and walked back to his room.

He walked back into their room and laid back down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling and watched Plagg swirl around in a circle. He understood what it was like to feel unloved. To feel like no one wanted you. To feel like you had to love everything for a fear that no one would love them then.

Adrien sighed as he peered over at a sleeping Marinette. She was on her side, cuddling his pillow. He chuckled as she moved her lips in her sleep and whispered his name. Adrien took the pillow from her and she struggled to chase after it. He caught her searching hand and kissed it before he wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I'm right here." Adrien scooted closer and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Marinette snuggled closer to him and rubbed her cheek against his chest as she put a leg over his hips.

Adrien looked over at the window and stared at the stars. Nothing looked amazing about them anymore. Not when he had a whole galaxy beside him.

000

Marinette walked into Alya's room and found her on her bed listening to music. She was flipping through a comic that her mother had brought her. It was one of her favorites from home.

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" Marinette knocked on her door frame as she nervously rubbed her upper arm.

"Sure, girl." Alya made room for her on her bed and waited for her to sit down.

"I screwed up." Marinette swallowed hard as she looked at Alya with tears in her eyes.

"What do you mean? We all screw up." Alya raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"No, I mean… really _really_ screwed up." Marinette looked at her with a serious expression and Alya pressed her lips together. "I don't know what to do."

"Well… maybe you should talk to Ms. Bustier or someone about it. Someone that you can trust." Alya suggested and then perked up. She sat up on her knees and shook Marinette's shoulders with enthusiasm. "What if you ask the voices? They always know what to tell me. Like when my mom told me I had enough time on my computer! Or when my father took my internet away because I was obsessively looking into research for my vlogs. Or!"

"Okay, okay. This is different than that, Als." Marinette interrupted her for a moment. "I might be pregnant."

"What? Who? When? Wait…" Alya thought for a moment as confusion took her over. "Whose is it?"

Marinette looked at her with an expression that showed how obvious the answer was.

"No... How did you get away with doing that in here?" Alya became interested in her friend's secrets. "You gotta teach me your ways."

Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That's not important. I'm on antibiotics and I forgot and- and- I don't know what to do." She flung herself back on Alya's bed and waited for her to respond.

"Do you know?" Alya crossed her arms and waited for an answer.

"It just happened. I won't know for a while. Ms. Bustier offered an option to us. I turned her down. I couldn't do it. I fucked up and I'm going to sit in it." Marinette sighed and Alya jumped back in shock.

"What does Adrien think about all this?" Alya raised an eyebrow. "Did you let him decide?"

Marinette worried her bottom lip and shook her head as she hid in her hair. "He was… silent? Supportive? But I could tell he was scared. Worried maybe? I don't know. I don't read people well."

"Okay. You and I both know that you read him like a book. Out of everyone in here? You understand him more than most." Alya gestured with one of her hands. "I would ask him how he feels. Like honestly feels. Not with him having you in mind."

Marinette nodded as she stood up. "Okay."

"But if you have weeks to worry? Stop worrying about it and go on like your life is normal. One time doesn't always spell disaster. If you even want to consider it to be that. It could also be a blessing." Alya shrugged and Marinette thought about her words for a moment.

"I'll try to keep that in mind, Als." Marinette smiled as she left her room.

Marinette walked down the hallway and towards the smoking porch, where Adrien stood. She hadn't seen him smoke in some time and something about it unsettled her. She leaned on the railing and he stubbed it out fast, blowing the smoke away from her in a panic.

"Marinette, you shouldn't be near me when I do this. The bab-" Adrien tried to clean the smoke from his hands on his jeans, even though he knew it wouldn't do much good.

"What baby?" Marinette gave him a curious expression and watched him panic more.

"If you are pregnant smoke isn't going to-" Adrien was interrupted again by Marinette's index finger on his lips.

"I don't want to think about it until I know for sure. So stop. Please." Marinette sighed and let her finger fall from his lips. She turned back towards the railing and leaned her forearms on it.

Marinette peered up at the stars and smiled. "Stars are beautiful. Perfect. I wouldn't mind being up there with you." She softly giggled and then looked at him with her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You know… I was laying there and all I thought about was how the stars weren't that special anymore." Adrien leaned on the railing beside her and flung his cigarette off the banister.

Marinette looked at him in shock. "What do you mean? You love the stars. They mean so much to you."

Adrien shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, shaking the loose strands free. "Not when you're beside me. You outshine the heavens."

Marinette's cheeks warmed as she contemplated his words. "I do? I'm not special. I'm a giant klutz. I'm not smart. I'm not even that great. I mean look what I did to myself." Marinette held up her bandaged arms. "All because some stupid girl picked on me and turned people against me."

Adrien shook his head and turned towards her. He touched a few strands of her hair and let it slowly fall from his fingertips as he smiled at her. "You're not stupid. You're incredibly smart and creative. Your clumsiness is beyond cute, but I've never seen it. You seem pretty well balanced. Well, physically wise." Adrien laughed and she giggled as she became shy. "You're gorgeous and you would make a wonderful mother. A better one than I had, if I'm honest."

"That can't be true." Marinette burst out into a smart laugh. There was no way that he would even know that she was better.

Adrien scooted a tiny seed around the top of the railing as he thought about his mother. "My mother… was not much better than my father. I like to remember her as a positive light in my life, but if I'm honest? She was just as terrible to me. She helped my father keep me locked up. She only let me have one friend. She kept me from going to public school. Kept me from many things, Marinette. I just choose to focus on my shitty father. I mean how can one kid have two crappy parents?"

Marinette slid her hand onto his forearm and gave him a saddened expression. "What would you do if I was pregnant?"

Adrien flinched at her question and swallowed hard with widened eyes. Marinette took that as a warning that she shouldn't have said anything. She should have just kept her mouth shut.

"Shouldn't have spoke." Tikki snarled as she swirled around Marinette. She vanished in a plume of smoke and then came back to wrap around her neck, snaking her long spindly fingers over Marinette's mouth.

"Marinette?" Adrien searched her blank stare and feared for the worst. "Shit. Marinette?"

She began to tremble as her thoughts consumed her. She felt like she was falling down as her world went black. Like she was endlessly descending down a long tube of spiraling thoughts. His cool fingers touched her cheek and she tried to focus on them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She kept his touch in her mind as her thoughts spiraled around her.

"Hey." Adrien spoke in a soft voice and her vision slowly cleared as the blackness faded.

She blinked and peered at his worried expression. "Adrien?"

"Are you okay?" Adrien moved her hair from her face as he held her.

Marinette nodded as she stood up on wobbly legs. "I'm okay. What happened?"

"You asked me what I thought about if you were pregnant. Which I believe I've told you before. Also, this isn't the best place to talk about this." Adrien searched her eyes and watched her nod. "Too public."

"I told Alya." Marinette gasped out between tears as she felt guilty. It was sudden, but her emotions were usually scattered and all over the place. Most cases, she didn't know how she felt. But right now she felt entirely guilty for talking to someone else about it. "I'm so sorry. I needed to talk to someone. I needed to confide in someone."

"No, no. Don't be sorry. I understand. Believe me. I would have talked to Nino about it." Adrien swallowed hard as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He began to use his nail to scratch his tingling skin without so much as a thought.

Marinette watched him nervously scratch at his neck and she took his hand from it. "You're shaking." Her voice was quiet and he gave her an awkward smile as he pulled his hand away.

"Only because you're here. I can't contain my love for you." Adrien smiled at her with a wider grin that seemed forced.

"Don't lie to me. It only hurts more." Marinette grabbed her upper arm and looked down at the wood flooring. "Only makes me worry more. That you'll leave me if I am. Like I've heard Juleka talk about."

"Hey." Adrien took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere. Let's go to our room so I can talk to you. Properly."

Marinette was scared about what he would say. She was terrified that he was about to say that he was done. That he no longer wanted someone as insane as her. As crazy.

She stopped in front of their door and Adrien peered at her. "Come on. I'm not leaving. I'm being honest with you. If you want to know what I really feel? I need you to talk to me in here and not out for everyone to hear. No one needs to hear about this."

Marinette stopped for a second and became defensive as she yanked her hand away. "What do you mean no one needs to hear about this? This is our baby!" She put her hands on her hips.

"Marinette." Adrien spoke in a more stern tone as he leaned forward to grab her hand. He kept his voice down as he peered through his hair. "You said it yourself that there was most likely no baby. Why are you getting defensive?"

"I am not getting defensive!" She crossed her arms over her chest and Adrien sighed.

"Alright. Fine. I am scared. Now, if you want to know more? Get in here." Adrien held the door open and flung his arm inside to tell her to go.

Marinette stomped her foot and gave in, walking past him. She sat on her bed and he went to sit beside her, but she glared at him.

He held his hands above his head and walked over to his bed. "Alright, I get it. But you need to understand my side of things too. It's not just your baby. If there is even a baby."

"Just tell me the truth. That's all I ask." Marinette stared at him with tear filled eyes.

"Yes. I am scared. I am scared because I am not fit to be a father. Marinette." Adrien held up his bandaged fists. "I beat the shit out of a girl. I have stitches to prove it. I am in here because I have issues handling the fact that I am gaining weight. I don't even know what size I am right now, but I can tell you I hate it. Despise it. Every piece of food, big or small, that enters my mouth? I want to throw it up. And do I really want to try? Most of the time I do. I won't lie to you. I still will if I am walking down a fairly vacant hallway where there is no staff. I _will_ find a trash can and use it. I am not getting better. Only pretending to. Pretending for you."

Marinette burst out into tears as she grabbed her pillow and flung it at him. "DON'T PRETEND! YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRYING! YOU PROMISED!"

"You don't think I want to? But I can't. I want to. I do." Adrien caught the pillow and gave her a desperate expression.

"IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO STOP AND GET BETTER? THEN YOU WOULD!" Marinette burst out and stood up from her bed. "BUT YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THAT! I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET BETTER FOR ME! I WANT YOU TO GET BETTER FOR YOURSELF! I OUTED MY SHIT FOR YOU!"

Adrien flinched at her words as she walked towards the door. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

"I can't handle you right now. I can't handle this. I- I can't." Marinette's voice cracked as she touched the door handle.

"I want this baby. If there is a baby. I just worry that I won't be the best for it. It's not that I want to run or want to erase it. I just-" Adrien gripped his hair in his hands. "I'm sick, Marinette. Really sick. I- I don't want this baby to have a father as fucked up as me. I don't want to have to explain how it was conceived in a hellhole like this. I don't want to be my father."

Marinette slowly dropped her hand from the door handle as she heard him begin to softly cry. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath as she peered up at the ceiling. She turned to face him with a newfound confidence as she forgot about herself for a moment.

"I don't want to- I don't want to fuck up." Adrien's words came out broken as he held his knees to his chest and rested his forehead against his kneecaps. "I don't want to ruin a child. An innocent baby. I'm scared of what effect I'll have on it. I'm scared of you giving birth. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared of having to tell my father that I knocked you up!"

Marinette sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around him. She shushed him and held him against herself. He let go of his legs and gripped onto her.

Nurse Bustier knocked and walked in to find him falling apart. "Is everything okay?"

"No." Marinette began to burst out into tears as her own fears took over her thoughts.

"Let's go to Dr. Fu." Ms. Bustier smiled and Marinette nodded and pried Adrien from her.

"We have to go." Marinette whispered and waited for Adrien to wipe his eyes and get up to follow her, but he didn't.

Plagg swirled around him and caused his vision to become black. His hands turned into fists and his jaw clenched tight. He began to pant as he heard Plagg snicker.

"Just like your father… You know you're gonna be just like him, don't you? You're going to be a terrible father. Awful. Abusive…" Plagg sneered as he swirled around Adrien. "Nothing that kid will do will appease you. You'll watch your kid slowly become you as you are now. Broken. Never good enough."

"STOP IT!" Adrien burst out and grabbed his head in his hands. He stood up and began to rip the sheets from his bed. He threw his books from the shelf and panted as he screamed.

Nurse Bustier grabbed Marinette and pushed her behind herself as she pushed the radio to call for help. Marinette tried to shove Nurse Bustier out of the way to get to him. To make him stop, but she held her back.

"No. Let him go." She spoke in a frantic voice as two men ran in. "IT'S NOT HIS FAULT! NOT HIS FAULT!"

"Shh, shh…" Ms. Bustier tried to calm her down as she watched them pin him down and sedate him.

Marinette went limp and fell to her knees in a loud sob. Nurse Bustier let her go to walk over and fasten restraints onto Adrien's wrists and ankles. Marinette gasped for air as she lost all sound coming from her lips. She held her arms and began to dig her nails into her skin, making crimson lines of blood appear in thin patterns of flaked flesh. It burned and she rocked back and forth as she found her world turning upside down. He was back to being stuck in his bed and it broke her heart. She gasped in a breath as she stood up and lunged at Nurse Bustier and the two men. She began to scream and fight them with all of her might.

Nurse Bustier sighed as the two men pinned her to the bed as she kicked and screamed louder. Her stomach turned and vomit went up her throat as she struggled. They turned her on her side and she coughed as they sedated her. Marinette burst out in silent sobs as Nurse Bustier restrained her and helped clean up the mess.

She left the two of them alone and walked out with the two men. There was nothing about this job that she liked anymore. There was nothing rewarding about it. Nothing lately that is. Nurse Bustier shook her head as she made her way to Dr. Fu's office. She needed a vacation and now seemed like the best time to take it.

**Songs:**

**Soap by Melanie Martinez**

**Sippy Cup by Melanie Martinez**


	18. Chapter 18

Marinette groaned as she slowly rolled her head towards Adrien's side of the room. She slowly opened her eyes and caught his gaze.

"Hi." Adrien swallowed hard as he searched her saddened expression with his own. "I'm sorry that I freaked out."

"Don't apologize. It's understandable." Marinette cleared her throat, feeling how scratchy and irritated it felt to swallow.

"No. I was a dick. Look I want kids. I want to spoil them with love and play with them, but also I'm twenty. Twenty and in this place and I can't really wrap my head around getting out of here and having a family. A real family. I'm so used to just walking through my life without actually living it." Adrien sighed as he pulled at his restraints.

"I get that." Marinette sighed as she peered up at the ceiling. "I can't really see myself getting out of here either, but I would love to get married and have kids. I want that fairytale ending that you read about in books. It's not realistic, but it's been my dream since I was five."

Adrien softly chuckled and licked his lips. "I always dreamed about some girl coming in and saving me from my life."

"Well, I can't say this is saving you." Marinette pulled at her restraints as a knock on the door sounded and Nurse Bustier walked in.

"You just being here is saving me, Marinette." Adrien smiled at her and watched her blush.

"Morning. Are you two ready to be free and join the other guests at breakfast?" Ms. Bustier smiled at them as she began to undo Marinette first.

Marinette sat up and rubbed her wrists as she watched Nurse Bustier set Adrien free.

"Are we allowed to?" Marinette raised an eyebrow at her.

"You will be sitting at your own table, as usual." Ms. Bustier smiled for them as she thought about her upcoming vacation.

"Right, because Adrien can't really talk to anyone." Marinette sighed and Adrien's head shot up to look at her as he rubbed his wrists.

"Well, he is talking to people in group therapy and he did save Sabrina. We just don't know if…" Ms. Bustier didn't want to upset Adrien.

Adrien sighed and filled Marinette in. "They want to make sure I'm stable and not going to attack anyone else. They're not worried about you because they know by experience… that I would not go after you. Easier to observe me if I'm at a table with just you."

"I'm sorry, Adrien. It's only for now." Ms. Bustier sighed and Adrien shrugged.

"Hasn't it always been that way?" Adrien scoffed as he crossed his arms. "You guys have always been posted near my tables. Even when I sat with Nino."

"We watch everyone, Adrien. Not just you." Ms. Bustier sighed as she tried to reason with him. "Anyway, after that you will take your medication. Then you have group therapy. Then Adrien, you have a-"

"Snack. Look, I got it at this point. Meal, snack, meal, snack, and meal with some therapy sprinkled in." Adrien rolled his eyes as he stood up from the bed.

"I just have to inform you. I know you guys get stuck in this routine." Ms. Bustier gave up fighting him or explaining. "I will also be going on vacation starting tomorrow. Ms. Medeleiev will be taking my spot."

Adrien froze up and clenched his hands into fists. "Why her?"

"There is no one else that can take my place at the moment and I really need a vacation." Ms. Bustier didn't want to lie to him. Their staff wasn't the fullest. Their facility wasn't the biggest one and Dr. Fu was very particular about who he hired. They had just enough staff to fill the needs of _Miraculous Healing_, but they would have benefited from more staff.

"Why? What's wrong with Ms. Medeleiev?" Marinette looked at Adrien with a confused expression.

"She's the worst." Adrien became irritated. He crossed his arms as his anger rose.

"Don't be that way. She cares about you all as much as I do." Ms. Bustier smiled and Adrien burst out in a short laugh.

"You have no… idea. She may have been supplying my cigarettes and matches? But she lacks in human compassion." Adrien rolled his eyes.

Marinette stared at him with a confused expression. She couldn't understand why he was so upset over the nurse that usually was sitting at the front desk. She never had an issue with her, but she rarely talked to the older woman.

"How about we go eat?" Ms. Bustier opened their door and led them out of the bedroom.

Adrien sighed and followed Marinette to the cafeteria. They got in line and grabbed the food that they were given. Adrien led her over to an empty table and they sat down. Marinette touched her fruit with her spork as she stared at Adrien. He poked at his yogurt with his spork and watched it move as he leaned onto his elbow.

"What happened between you and Ms. Madeleiev?" Marinette put a piece of fruit into her mouth and waited for him to explain.

Adrien set his spork down and saw a nurse stare at him. He picked it back up with a groan and stuck it into his yogurt, bringing it to his lips. Adrien's hand trembled as he placed it into his mouth. His stomach rolled as he tried to remember the calories in it.

"Adrien?" Marinette watched him dart his eyes around the room to calculate his way out and where to find a secluded trash can between there and the common room. "Hey." She touched his hand and he jumped as he flashed a glance at her.

He caught her gaze and stared at her for a moment. Adrien turned his attention back to his yogurt and dipped his spork into it again. He shrugged for her and stuck another bite into his mouth.

Marinette leaned across the table and searched his face. "If you are calculating how to get to the nearest out of sight trash can? I will stop you." Her voice was quiet and she watched him swallow his food.

"I'm not." Adrien picked up his toast and inspected it. He knew the calories in that and he also knew that it was all carbs. His stomach protested as he placed the corner between his lips.

"Will you please tell me what happened?" Marinette begged him with her broken gaze as she forgot about her food for a moment, until she noticed how Nurse Bustier stared at her. She sighed and picked up her toast to encourage him.

Adrien set the toast down and sighed as he hid in his hair. "She hates me."

"I doubt it." Marinette took a bite of her toast and watched him pick his back up to take a small bite.

"She once locked me up for… who knows how long. I only got let out to go to the bathroom. Eat. For days… weeks maybe? I have no idea." Adrien rolled his eyes as he chewed behind his hand.

"But Ms. Bustier did the same to you." Marinette pointed out to him as she took a bite of her omelet.

"Not like that bitch. Even when I grab cigarettes and matches from her, she looks at me with this sick expression. Like I'm the worst thing on this planet. She judges me off what she has heard from the staff. Nothing about her wants to actually see me for me." Adrien stabbed his omelet and reluctantly brought a piece of it to his lips.

"You don't know that she is really thinking that you're a terrible person. Not just with the expression that she gave you." Marinette ate some of her yogurt.

"Oh, if you could see how she looks at me… you'd agree with me." Adrien sighed as he stabbed a piece of fruit with his spork and got ready to eat it.

"I have seen her look at you." Marinette took another bite of her yogurt.

"I mean really look at me." Adrien sighed as he threw his spork onto his tray. He was over eating and all he wanted to do was go back to their room. He really had no motivation to do anything now that he knew who the new main nurse would be.

"How about when she starts being our main nurse, I pay more attention to how she treats you. Maybe I'll even act up to distract her from you." Marinette smiled as she watched him shake his head.

"Don't. Seriously. I don't wish her wrath on you or anyone." Adrien slammed his elbow onto the table and rested his cheek on his fist as he picked his spork back up to play around with his omelet.

Marinette didn't understand what his issue was with Nurse Medeleiev. She wanted to know and the unknown was quickly becoming an obsession. Marinette would have gotten on her knees and begged for him to tell her, but it seemed like he wasn't going to open up about it to her.

Their conversation slowly faded as they both focused on their food. Adrien stood up and took his tray over to get checked. Marinette followed him and they both walked out of the cafeteria.

She sighed and laced her fingers with his as she watched him dart his gaze around to find a fairly secluded hallway. "I know what you're doing and I won't let you."

Adrien jumped and peered at her with an anxious expression. He reminded her of a deer when headlights flashed in front of its face on a dark road. He shook his head as he looked around them when he spotted a trash can. His worried and saddened expression was enough to make her heart ache for him. She gave in and stood in the way so that no one would see him duck down to empty his stomach into the bin. Marinette pretended to cough as a couple patients walked past, trying to shield Adrien from their prying gaze. She peered over her shoulder once they were out of sight and Adrien stood up.

"I'm sorry." Adrien's voice came out weak and Marinette grabbed his hand and rubbed her thumb along his knuckles.

"Don't be. It's okay." Marinette warmly smiled at him and pulled him back towards their room before Nurse Bustier found them.

Adrien followed her as he caught sight of his father standing at the front desk with Nathalie. He froze and suddenly yanked Marinette towards their room, faster than she was moving.

"What is it?" Marinette jogged to keep up with him.

"My father." Adrien spoke between his clenched teeth as he pulled her inside of their room.

"He hasn't been around in a while." Marinette swallowed hard as she watched Adrien rummage through his shelf of books.

"Yeah. Probably because Dr. Fu was keeping him from me." Adrien grabbed a book and opened it.

"What are you doing?" Marinette raised an eyebrow as she watched him pull a book open and go through it.

"Looking for something." Adrien flipped to a specific page and pulled out a thin metal piece.

"You didn't start a new collection." Marinette sighed as watched him lean back and undo his jeans.

"Does it matter?" Adrien felt around the waistband area of his boxers to look for a spot that he wanted to pick.

"No matter where you pick? They'll probably find it. You know that." Marinette watched him pull his skin tight along his left hip bone and press the sharp edge against his skin. She cringed as he made quick movements along his skin. She watched as red thin lines appeared along the tears of skin. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as he relaxed his hand at his side. She watched his body become relaxed and his breathing slow down.

A knock sounded on the door and she watched as he quickly redid his pants and jumped up to hide the metal piece back inside the book. He slipped the book back onto the shelf.

"I have your medications. Then your father is here with his assistant." Ms. Bustier passed them each a cup of pills and a cup of water.

Adrien and Marinette knocked back the pills and took the water. They both passed her the cups after showing that their mouths were empty of pills.

"Can I go with him?" Marinette stared at Nurse Bustier with a hopeful expression.

"Not today. I'm sorry. You have to go to group therapy. He will join you there shortly." Ms. Bustier smiled as Adrien stood up.

"I'll be okay. I'll see you after. Promise." Adrien touched Marinette's upper arm and kissed her cheek.

Marinette nodded and watched him leave. She worried her bottom lip and kept her gaze on the door, waiting until it was shut and they were gone. She swallowed hard and shoved her hand between the bed and the wall. Marinette pulled out a journal and a pen, that she had stashed. She opened the journal and began to write the date down. Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she began to write a poem.

She put herself in the shoes of someone else with an abusive parent and began to write a poem about it. She finished writing it and shut her journal. Marinette fiddled with the pen and pulled the cap off of it. She rested her arm on her thigh with her palm up. Marinette made a fist and began to rub the sharp edge against her skin, causing her soft skin to tear beneath it.

She winced as it began to burn more and more the deeper she got. Once it was half an inch wide and two inches long, she stopped and put the cap back on her pen. Marinette hid the items behind her bed and closed her eyes as she laid back. The cut oozed and she ran her finger across it. She hissed in pain and stopped touching it.

000

Adrien sat at the table with his hands in his lap. Gabriel stared at him with his tablet in his hands. Nathalie sat beside him and stared at Adrien with a blank expression. Her hair was as neatly done as ever and he always liked to think of how it matched her stressed interior. She seemed to always be uptight, but he assumed that was due to his father. Working for that man did not produce healthy people to say the least.

"Stand up for me. I need to take note of your measurements." Gabriel gestured towards Adrien with his stylus.

"No." Adrien put his foot down until his father's grip tightened on the stylus. He swallowed hard and stood up, walking over to his father.

"Nathalie?" Gabriel held his hand out for her to set the measuring tape in his hand.

He began to measure around Adrien's waist, finding it to be smaller than last time. Adrien stared at his father's stoic expression, hoping to see a smile.

"Is everything okay, father?" Adrien fidgeted his fingers and waited for some sort of response.

"You've lost weight, but you could stand to lose a bit more." Gabriel rolled the tape measure up and gestured for Adrien to sit back down.

"Yes, father." Adrien nodded as he looked down at the table.

Nathalie cleared her throat and kicked Adrien's shin beneath the table. He looked up at her and watched her pick up her purse. She discreetly put it into her lap and pulled something out of it. Adrien watched her arm slightly move and she nudged his shin again. He held his hand out, beneath the table, and felt around until his fingertips landed on a smooth rounded surface. He nodded to Nathalie as he wrapped his fingers around the bottle, trying to keep them from rattling. Adrien quickly slipped the bottle into his pocket with ease and swallowed hard.

"I'm trying everything in my power to get you out of this place." Gabriel tapped on his tablet and ignored Adrien's existence. "However, it seems to be hard to pull you out of this establishment. Dr. Fu is very persuasive and stubborn. It seems that I can't pull you out with money. I'm used to money solving everything, but it seems to fail me here. So, I want you to do something on your end."

Adrien's eyes grew wide as he heard his father's words. "What?"

"I want you to pretend to get better. Try harder than you did before. Your mother didn't pay for acting lessons for nothing. Lie. Do it. I have fashion week coming up and I need you there. And I don't want a broken son at that fashion event. Do you understand me?" Gabriel searched his son's gaze.

"Yes, father." Adrien nodded and hid in his hair.

"Alright, I have a show to get ready for. You do as I say. End this little stunt." Gabriel stood up and Nathalie followed him.

Nurse Bustier walked into the room once they left and found Adrien staring down at his hands in his lap. She walked up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Are you ready? We have a new guest in group today. I was hoping that you could meet her."

Adrien nodded, but he didn't care about anyone else. This new girl meant nothing and the pills were burning in his pocket. They set his skin aflame and all he wanted to do was go to his room to hide them. His fingers itched to see what they were. His body longed to take them. To see the results faster than not eating or throwing up. Nurse Bustier stared at him and waited for him to get up.

"Are you okay? I know seeing your father is tough." Ms. Bustier tried to coax him to stand. "Marinette is waiting."

Adrien took a deep breath and nodded as he stood up. He wasn't even angry at his father anymore. He was just disappointed and depressed. He was past the anger and now he had moved on to pure sadness.

He stood up and pulled the hem of his shirt down to hide the bottle shape in his pocket. Nurse Bustier nodded and led him out of the visitation area. Adrien put his hands into his pockets and kept his head down. Each person around them, patient or nurse, felt like they were listening in on his thoughts. Each glance made him feel like they knew what was in his mind. Like he was broadcasting his ideas to the world. He felt like everyone knew that he had pills in his pocket. Everyone knew that he was about to fake his way to freedom. Each expression made him feel like the whole world knew everything about him. Like he was broadcasting himself to the world and it unsettled him. Paranoia crept up his throat and he swallowed hard to try and hold it back.

Adrien stepped into the room full of patients and watched as everyone turned to look at him. The sounds of whispers from still lips echoed around him as Plagg appeared with a snicker, swirling around his throat.

"Adrien. Nice of you to join us. Please sit." Adrien peered around the chairs and swallowed hard as he saw a seat open beside Marinette. Her expression seemed worried as she nibbled on her bottom lip. He nodded and walked to pull the chair out from beside her. He sat down and smiled for her, taking her hand in his. He gently squeezed it and she rested her head against his shoulder.

The girl on the other side of him nudged his arm as Dr. Fu began to speak. "Psst. Hey." Her voice came out in a stern whisper.

Adrien peered over at her and took in her short black bob cut and warm brown eyes. He looked at her baggy red shirt and plaid skirt. Her clothes looked too big for her and gave her away with ease. "Hey." Adrien whispered back and Marinette peered up at him.

"My name's Kagami. I'm new here." Kagami smiled at him and then glared at Marinette, who was busy cuddling his arm.

"And I care because?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her.

Kagami shrugged and was interrupted by Dr. Fu calling on her.

"Why don't you take a turn telling us about what you would do to help this friend?" Dr. Fu held the situational card in his hand and waited for an answer.

**Song I wrote to:**

**Taking You There by Broods**


	19. Chapter 19

**Note: Sorry that I have been gone so long. Between running Adrien AUGreste with my friend, Chimpukampu... hurting my knee and needing physical therapy, being a mom, working, and getting hit by a truck (I'm okay. It's not as bad as it sounds. A mom was driving and she swung into a parking space, hitting me with the front corner of her big truck. My right arm took most the force and my ribs. It pushed me forward and I caught myself on my good leg. I felt bad for the little horrified kids that saw it. No she didn't get out of her truck. Yes she continued to park. And I chose to go home. I can't do anything about it unless I had held her there while I called the cops but I just wanted to go home. Yes she looked at me after she hit me with her truck and gave me with wtf expression as I cursed at her and glared. So instead of being mean... I chose to just hurry home in my panic. lol My arm is good now. I didn't break it. I just damaged the muscles in my forearm. But it's fine now.) So anyways... here is the next chapter for this story. :) I am also right now writing Kinktober over on AO3. Adrien AUGreste is over there too. I drew and wrote for that. :) Anyways, enjoy!**

Adrien sat at the table eating his snack. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was eating. The food lacked taste as the unknown pills still burned in his pocket. He had caught the way the Kagami girl had glared at Marinette and he worried about her. He was scared that she would be like Lila. That she would push Marinette over the edge and cause her to fall again. His hand trembled as he brought the food to his mouth. His heart pounded against his chest and felt loud in his ears. He worried about her and it made it even harder to eat than it already was.

He shook his head and decided to focus on counting calories instead. He began to do calculations in his head, watching them swirl around him. Adrien sighed and shoved the last of the food into his mouth. He had only been given fifteen minutes as usual to finish it, not that he had wanted to.

Adrien stood up and got his tray checked before he was let go. He pulled at the hem of his shirt and walked back to his room, where he would finally get to see what Nathalie had given him. What his father had given him.

He walked down the long hallway and searched all of the faces along the way. They all seemed like a blur as they walked past him, shuffling their feet. The place reminded him of a nightmare as he heard their whispers. Whispers from sealed lips, but for some reason to him they were moving in fast rhythms. Adrien swallowed hard and made it to their room. He pushed the door open to find it empty.

His heartbeat became louder in his ears as he panicked about where Marinette was until he remembered that she was with Dr. Fu. He breathed out with his eyes closed and shut the door behind him. Adrien walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of it. He ran his hands through his messy hair, hit his thighs with his palms, and stood up again. Adrien's hands trembled as he grabbed the book from his shelf.

He licked his lips and crawled back onto his bed. He pulled himself against the wall and rested the book on his lap. Adrien flipped to the page with his blade in it and used it to cut a square shaped hole into the pages that was big enough to hide the pill container. It still burned in his pocket and begged for him to look at it. To take them. He swallowed hard and licked his lips as he made the last cut along the pages. He stuffed the paper scraps into his empty pocket, feeling the edge of one slice the side of his finger. He grimaced, yet welcomed the sharp burn.

Adrien took a deep breath and reached into his other pocket, bringing his knees up to his chest. He turned the bottle in his hand to read the label. Laxatives. He sighed and popped the childproof cap off with his thumb. He shook five into his palm and quickly tossed them back, swallowing them as he put the lid back on the bottle. He quickly shoved it into the book and got up to put it away. He counted the minutes in his head as he lay back down. In sixty minutes or less, he'd feel better about eating.

000

Marinette sat in Dr. Fu's office drawing a picture of herself. This time she chose to draw herself staring at a window. It was simple. Uncomplicated. She wanted out and it was a version of herself looking out with her hand behind her, waiting for someone to take it. To be free with her.

"How are we feeling today?" Dr. Fu took her drawing from her and placed it into her file. "Any better?"

"A little." Marinette swallowed hard as she played with her hands in her lap. She hid in her hair as Dr. Fu scribbled something down about her. She imagined it was probably her body language or her two words that really meant nothing, but to a doctor meant a whole slew of issues.

"Only a little?" Dr. Fu set his hands on his clipboard and stared at her.

"Worried." Marinette played with her hands again and waited for Dr. Fu to overanalyze that.

"Ah, about Adrien?" Dr. Fu searched her figure and watched for her to react in anyway to what he had said. She twitched and peered up at him with a concerned expression.

"Should I be worried about him? I thought he was doing somewhat better. What's wrong? He didn't tell me he wasn't okay." Marinette began to ramble and Dr. Fu raised his hand with his pen between his fingers.

"Nothing. He told me nothing. I just assumed that was what made you worried." Dr. Fu sighed and set his hand back down in his lap.

"Oh. No. I'm worried that I- I won't get better. That I'll be okay and the next moment I'm losing my mind." Marinette swallowed hard as her bottom lip trembled. "And then I'm stuck here forever."

"Well, you will get better. You are getting better. I mean you came here and you wouldn't talk to anyone. Now, look at you. You're talking to everyone. Me included. I'm very proud of how far you have come. And yes you will have bad days where you go backwards, but the point is… that we give you the tools to get out of it. To recognize what is causing your issue." Dr. Fu smiled at her and wrote something down as he watched a tear slowly fall down the contour of her cheek. "I'm sure Adrien is waiting for you. So, let's end this session early for today. The point is… you will get out of here and you are already getting better, Marinette. Promise."

Marinette nodded and got up from the couch, wiping her eyes with a nod. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Dr. Fu watched the girl leave and set his clipboard down after adding the notes to her file. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He thought she was doing better; but if he was honest, he really didn't know.

Marinette walked through the hallway and swallowed hard as she got to the room. It was empty and her heart began to panic. It rose up her throat and she clutched at her neck and tried to breathe. He could be anywhere. It didn't mean that he was gone or taken away. Didn't mean that he was dead. Didn't mean that they had him locked up again. They said they wouldn't do that ever again to them. She fell to her knees and held her head in her hands.

A slender finger poked her in the shoulder and she jumped with a shiver. "Hey." Adrien softly cleared his throat and peered down at her. "Someone is going to think you're having a breakdown."

Marinette slowly looked up at him and jumped up to throw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as color came back to her face. "I thought you were locked up again." She nuzzled his chest as she fell apart against him.

Adrien quickly scooped her up and carried her into their room, shutting the door and sitting on his bed with her. She sat in his lap with her legs off to the side and clung to him as she fell apart. Adrien peered over her shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair to soothe her as he watched Nurse Medeleiev walk past, peering through their square window. He glared at her and buried his face into Marinette's shoulder, holding her protectively against him. He watched as she shook her head in disapproval, walking away. Adrien scoffed and rolled his eyes, causing Marinette to push away from him.

"What's wrong?" Marinette searched his irritated expression and he shook his head.

"Nothing. Everything is okay. Are you okay?" Adrien changed the subject and gave her a warm smile as he cradled her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs along her cheekbones.

Marinette searched his eyes and peered at his face for a moment. "Why do you look so pale?"

"Nothing." Adrien swallowed hard as he looked away from her with an awkward smile.

"No, no nothing. What did you do?" Marinette searched his emerald eyes that lacked a shine. Something about him was off.

His stomach turned and he took her off his lap. "I'll be back. Don't worry about it." Adrien left their room and Marinette waited for the door to shut before she got up and stood on his bed to go through his shelf of books. She sifted through them and pulled one that she hadn't seen him use before. She flipped through the pages and found the bottle of pills in the book.

She pulled them out, hearing the familiar sound of rattling pills against plastic and shook her head. She pocketed them and shoved the book back where it belonged. Marinette tapped her fingers on her arm as she waited for him to come back. She grabbed her tablet and began to sketch on it while she waited. It felt like forever before the door opened and she saw Adrien, who seemed somehow paler than before.

"Close the door." Marinette stared at him and set her tablet beside her on his bed.

Adrien swallowed hard and shut the door behind him. He watched her reach into her pocket and throw the pill bottle at him.

"Explain." Marinette crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I- You wouldn't understand." Adrien quickly shoved the pill bottle into his pocket and shoved his shirt over it.

"Try me." Marinette waited for him to explain himself.

Adrien sighed and sat down beside her. "Nathalie gave them to me."

"I don't care who the hell gave you them. I want to know why you broke down and took them." Marinette shoved her finger into his chest. "We're supposed to move forward. To get out of here _together_. Not seperate, Adrien. If you get caught? You'll be here longer." Tears burned her eyes as she watched him hide in his hair. "How many did you take? You look awful."

"Five." Adrien mumbled the amount to her and she shook her head.

"_Stop_ slowly killing yourself and _LIVE_ if not for yourself… then me. But mostly? I want _you_ to live for yourself. Please!" Marinette grabbed his shirt and buried her face into his chest as she curled up closer to him. "Please stop."

Adrien wrapped his arms around her and his hold felt weaker than before. "We all have our bad days, Marinette. Am I not allowed to have one?" His voice came out as weak as his hold and she slowly peered up at him.

"You can rely on me on your bad days. You- don't- need- pills- to rely on." She burst out into tears as she trembled. "Don't need Plagg anymore. I don't need Tikki anymore. I just need _you._ If you go? I don't know how I can live with myself. I don't know how to fix you and I know that I can't. I know that you can't fix me because- because we can only fix ourselves. But if I can be a little bit of that incentive? _Please, Adrien._" Her voice came out desperate and Adrien's heart shattered.

"I'm so sorry." Adrien held her tighter, fighting through his stomach pain and nausea for her. "I'm so so sorry, Marinette."

Marinette shook her head and sniffed as she pulled away from him. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you are this way. I know it. It's not my fault that I'm this way either. I just- I want you to be okay. I want myself to be okay. I want _us_ to be okay. I want to get out of here alive and with you. Not alone." Marinette slowly slid her hands up his chest and around his neck as she gently pressed her lips to his. "Please."

Adrien brushed his lips against hers and rested his forehead against hers. "Okay. No more pills. No more blades. No more hiding food or making myself sick. No more Plagg."

Marinette nodded and swallowed hard as she brushed her lips against his again and slowly pushed him back on the bed as she straddled his hips, deepening the kiss.

000

Adrien stood on the smoking porch and leaned on the banister, staring up at the sky. He brought the cigarette to his lips, let it burn his throat and lungs before he slowly let the smoke out. Marinette sighed as she stood beside him and tried to figure out what he was zoning out on. Until a bird caught her eye. She watched how it flew in the air, looping and spinning like it was the freest creature in the world. How it chirped and dove through the air before flapping its wings and soaring back up through the air.

"I have to talk to Dr. Fu today." Adrien grabbed the pills from his pocket and chucked them as far as he could into the bushes below. "I'm gonna lie."

"I figured you would." Marinette shrugged as she stared at the bush that had swallowed his pills whole. "No one's going to find those?"

"Maybe." Adrien shrugged and put his cigarette back between his lips. "But honestly with all of the patients here, it could be anyone. Including little miss Kagami."

"What?" Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"Her clothes are too big for her. She looks like she's all skin and bones. I put all my money on the fact that she's here due to similar terms." Adrien shrugged as he looked over his shoulder at the girl with short hair playing cards with everyone. "Look at her and tell me what you see."

Marinette slowly turned her head to peek over her shoulder at the girl with dark hair. She gazed at the girl's baggy clothes and how her wrist bones stood out and how her skin seemed to be stretched over her knee bones. "Okay, you win."

Adrien nodded and gestured to the top of his head. "She's also losing hair."

Marinette stared at her and then looked away when Kagami met her gaze, catching her. "Do all of you lose your hair?"

"No. But some." Adrien shrugged as he ran his fingers through his hair, catching loose strands. He held his hand over the banister and Marinette watched the golden strands of hair float through the air, catching the sunset and then going invisible before appearing again in a shimmer of gold.

Marinette watched him grind the end of his cigarette against the banister and flick it off the edge. He blew out smoke and sighed as he turned around to rest his back against the banister and propped his elbows back on it. He crossed one ankle over the other.

"Why do you think she does it?" Marinette whispered as she watched Kagami with him. Kagami slowly peered at Adrien and he recognized the pain behind her eyes, but didn't care.

"Who knows. Students in her classes? Friends? Her family? Could be anything. People do what they do for all types of reasons Marinette. It's usually never the same." Adrien shrugged as he pushed himself from the banister and Marinette followed him back inside.

**Songs I wrote to: **

**Serotonin by Call Me Karizma**

**Pretty Hurts by Beyonce **


	20. Chapter 20

**Note: Sorry it's so short. I'll write more soon. Promise. **

Adrien sat in Dr. Fu's office, picking at a loose strand on the couch. He sighed and licked his lips as he searched his head for a lie.

"How have you been? Still hearing Plagg or is he officially gone?" Dr. Fu held Adrien's chart on his lap as he stared at the man on the couch.

"He's gone." Adrien cleared his throat as he got lost in the thought of what Marinette could be doing without him. "I've been good."

"And your father's assistant has not brought you any pills or anything else that we should be aware of?" Dr. Fu stared at him harder and watched for any slight change or twitch to signal that Adrien was hiding something.

"Nope. Same ol' same ol'. Comes in. Talks about how much I'm failing. How worthless I am. How I'm only there to model for him… and then they just leave." Adrien shrugged as he held his arms against his chest.

"And how does the fact that he does not approve of you or believe you make you feel?" Dr. Fu wrote something down and waited for him to answer him again.

"Awful. Like I'm here for no reason. Like I'm stuck here because he doesn't get it. Although, what am I going to do about it." Adrien ran his hand through his hair and tugged on it. "How can you fix something that is forever broken? How can you fix someone who doesn't want to be fixed? How do you make someone believe when they don't? How do you-" He grabbed his hair in his hands and rested his elbows on his thighs. "How do you make a father who doesn't love you… has never loved you… _love_ you." He tried to hide the tears that were beginning to fall onto his jeans, darkening the color.

"I think… I think sometimes we hurt. And… sometimes that hurt can make us close up. Make us close our eyes and not see what is really in front of us. Your father does love you, very much so. He may not seem like it, but in the end… you're still his son. He doesn't like to see you hurt. He-"

Adrien flashed a glance up at Dr. Fu. "You don't know him. He's not like that. The man hardly hugs me. The man never tells me he loves me. He tells me I'm- _perfect_. Tells me to act like an _Agreste_ when he lacks manners himself."

"Just know that your father is hurting too. Now-" Dr. Fu pulled out the bottle of pills that Adrien had thrown. "Why don't you tell me about how your father's assistant hasn't brought you gifts, hm?" He held the bottle up in the air and shook it, causing Adrien's complexion to pale.

"Shit." Adrien cursed under his breath.

"Next time? Lie better." Dr. Fu pocketed the pills again. "We're not going to separate you two. We know that only makes it worse, but I am working on building a case so that your father and his lovely assistant can no longer visit you until you are fully in control of your actions. It seems that you are still struggling to see how skinny you truly are, Adrien. How you are slowly, yet quickly, killing yourself."

Adrien swallowed hard and brought his fingers to his lips. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You may lie and say that you are… but we all know that you are not. Now, Nurse Bustier is on her much needed vacation. I know that you do not particularly get along with Nurse Mendeleiev, but I need you to behave." Dr. Fu stared into Adrien's eyes for a moment. "Do I make myself clear?"

"She's the one that has issues with _me_." Adrien swallowed hard and stared at Dr. Fu with an irritated expression. "The woman tried to tie me up every moment she got. She never let me out. Shoved me against the walls to get in my face and yell at me to just stop being crazy. Knocked me out with sedatives every moment she got. Yanked me down the hallways to solitary or the cafeteria. If you want me to be nice to a woman like that?" Adrien scoffed and bit his tongue as he set his jaw, shaking his head. "I'd say you should be admitted to this hell hole that you've created. Rot in the castle that you've created as this fake oasis." Adrien spit the words at Dr. Fu and watched him flinch. "You think this place is some vacation home for us and it's anything but! But how would you know! Hm? How would you know when you sit in your office all day and look over it like you rule the place and only care about the money that comes pouring from it's fiery pit!"

"Adrien…" Dr. Fu gave him a warning tone and watched Adrien get up from the couch.

"If you really want to help us? Then listen! Listen to what we actually say! I told you ages ago to not let my father and his assistant in here. Yet you couldn't even FUCKING be bothered to hear me out. They make me worse! Most of us are in here because of our parents, friends, or family! How is seeing the people who made us here in the first place, help us to get better? It does the opposite! It just results in pills and sedatives. If you want to fix us, Dr. Fu? Truly want to?" Adrien searched Dr. Fu's surprised gaze for a moment with quivering lips. "You fucking let us work this shit out without our parents, friends, or families here. None of us like the feeling of letting them down. NONE OF US." Adrien flung open Dr. Fu's office door and walked away right as Dr. Fu raised his finger to speak.

"I guess we're good for today." Dr. Fu whispered as he watched the door close.

000

Adrien shook his head as he walked down the hallway, anger filled his veins. He stopped for a moment and punched a wall in his anger before he sank to the floor. No one was walking down the long dark hallway and he let his emotions wash over him as he got the courage to stand on trembling legs. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand when Nurse Mendeleiev caught him.

"You need to go to your room, Adrien." Nurse Mendeleiev ignored the fact that it was time for him to technically go to snack, but he didn't mind not eating. "We don't need you lurking in the hallways. You already scare everyone in this facility as it is."

Adrien grit his teeth and dug his nails into his fists at her words. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not going to repeat myself. Go to your room." Nurse Mendeleiev led him back to his room and shoved him inside before she closed the door.

Adrien stumbled along the tile and slowly peered up to see a shocked Marinette. "Hi." Adrien awkwardly smiled as he ran his hand through his hair.

She got up and walked up to him, running her thumbs beneath his swollen eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just tried to talk some sense into Dr. Fu. And Nurse Mendeleiev shoved me here so I didn't scare people." Adrien rolled his eyes and nuzzled Marinette's hands. "I'm okay." He raised his right hand up to cover her left one as he warmly smiled at her. "Broken, but I'm okay."

Marinette let her hands slip into his soft hair as she embraced him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay. That they didn't lock you away from me."

"They can't keep me away from you anymore. I won't let them." Adrien kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

"Good because I won't let them either." Marinette sighed and hugged him tighter.

"He did um… find the pills." Adrien swallowed hard and Marinette shook her head.

"But! I no longer get to see my father or his assistant." Adrien sighed as he sat down on his bed, bringing her into his lap. "So, that's a win I guess." He shrugged and Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him closer.

"I wish you could still see him though and not get upset." Marinette swallowed hard and captured his lips with her own.

"I know. Me too." Adrien deepened the kiss, turning his body to lay her down on the bed. He climbed on top of her as she pulled him by his shirt, running her tongue along his.

Adrien softly moaned as he rolled his hips. He broke the kiss and smirked at her. "Missing snack? So worth it."

Marinette burst out in a fit of giggles and gently smacked him in the bicep. "You're terrible and you need to eat."

"Later. Right now I'd rather indulge in the beautiful woman in my bed." Adrien softly laughed and stole a kiss from her again as he sank into her, forgetting everything around them. Forgetting the screams coming from outside their room. Forgetting that they were still trapped in hell.


	21. Chapter 21

Adrien walked up to Kagami, who was currently sitting on the couch with Rose and Juleka. He tapped her on the shoulder and she peered up at him confused. Adrien raised a hand and moved his index finger in a come hither motion.

He led her out to the smoking porch, striking a match on the banister as he held his hand in the way of the wind so that he could light his cigarette.

"Why did you call me out here?" Kagami waved the smoke away from her face with an annoyed expression.

"I wanted to ask you about why you're here." Adrien blew out smoke and rested his forearms against the banister as he leaned against it and kicked the deck with the toe of his laceless shoe.

"Look, that seems a bit personal." Kagami stared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't go around asking you why you're here. Plus aren't you not supposed to be talking to new patients."

Adrien rolled his eyes and took a hit off his cigarette before he turned his whole attention towards her. "Look. I see how your clothes are too big on you. How you run your fingers through your hair and pull out strands." Adrien gestured to his head with his cigarette between his index and middle finger. "Don't think I don't know. I just wanted to hear you say it. Why are you here?"

"Again. A bit personal. I don't know you. I just know rumors. Some scary man you're supposed to be. You don't seem scary to me." Kagami scoffed and turned towards the banister to peer out at the landscapers that were busy trimming the bushes and trees on the property.

Adrien leaned closer towards her and peered through his messy blonde bangs. "Because you haven't seen me at my worst and hopefully won't."

"Nah. I don't believe you. I think you're all talk." Kagami stared at him with her lips pursed.

"Whatever makes you feel better. I've been in that damn solitary ward more than anyone here." Adrien pointed in the direction of solitary confinement with his hand that was busy cradling his addiction.

"You do know that smoking is bad for you, right?" Kagami stood with her foot turned out.

"So they tell me." Adrien finished his cigarette and stubbed it out on the banister before he flicked it out into the bushes below.

"Why did you really want to talk to me?" Kagami leaned on the banister and stared at him with a softer expression than she had been showing him.

"I have seen enough new patients-" Adrien became annoyed when she interrupted him.

"Guests, you mean." Kagami corrected him with an unamused expression.

"_Patients_." Adrien rolled his eyes. "Or I'd rather say prisoners, but patients is a better and nicer term. Anyway." Adrien cleared his throat and continued with what he was saying. "I've seen enough of them come in here and hurt Marinette. Don't get near her."

"Why would I even want to get near her? The girl barely talks." Kagami was taken aback by his comment.

"She's getting better and I want her to get out of this hell hole." Adrien crossed his arms and leaned his back against the banister with his leg drawn up.

"Alright. So, why would you even think I would get in the way of that? I don't know her." Kagami became confused.

"Look, I know you're new here. But… you're going to see some shit and it'll all make sense. Just don't hurt her." Adrien watched her suddenly walk closer towards him and suddenly he felt super awkward.

"How would I hurt her? I would think the only way would be…" Kagami touched his hair and let it slowly fall from her fingertips. "To take the only thing that matters to her…" She smirked and fluttered her eyelashes. "_You._ You are the one thing keeping her sane, yes?"

"Stop it." Adrien swallowed hard as she smirked at him and bit her bottom lip.

"I'm right, aren't I? You are the main anchor that is keeping her from flying off the deep end." Kagami softly laughed as she ran her fingers along his cheek. "Would be a shame if she caught us kissing or… something more." She began to lean in, running her fingertip down his body, and Adrien shoved her away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" Adrien scowled and stormed off, leaving a smug Kagami.

000

"What did she say? Did you find out why she is here?" Marinette sat on Adrien's bed with her hands in his, playing this smacking game that children used to play when they were bored. One where one person placed their hands in the palms of another and the other person had to try and smack their hands with their own.

"She didn't really... SAY!" Adrien's voice shifted as he tried to smack her hands, but she pulled them away too fast.

"Really? I thought she would tell you everything since you have some in com-MON!" Marinette squealed as he nearly got her hands with his own. She giggled as he stared into her eyes.

"Not eno-UGH!" Adrien managed to smack her hands. "HA! I GOT YOU!"

Marinette giggled and fell over onto his pillow before she sat back up again and held her hands out for his. "So… what did you find out?"

"That she wants to make you upset. That's for S-URE!" Adrien cried out as she smacked his hands with ease.

"Gotta be quicker than that, Adrien." Marinette giggled as he groaned and held his hands out for hers. "What do you mean she wants to make me upset?"

"She tried to KI- OW!" Adrien suddenly felt her palm on his cheek. He raised his hand to rub his reddening cheek. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry she tried to what?" Marinette crossed her arms over her chest.

"She came onto me. I pushed her away. Ow… that really hurt. You didn't need to slap me for something I didn't let her do." Adrien sighed and turned away to sit with his legs over the side of the bed. His fingers gripped the thin white sheets as he stared down at the tile.

"I'm sorry. I reacted on instinct." Marinette scrambled to sit beside him and grabbed his face to make him look at her. She ran her thumb over the red mark. "That's gonna bruise." She cringed and he rolled his eyes.

"They're gonna wonder what the hell I did to myself. Great. Just wait 'til I get put in solitary again." Adrien sighed and Marinette shook her head.

"They wouldn't do that. I thought they were done doing that to you." Marinette searched his gaze and watched his eye color darken.

"You know who is the nurse now, Marinette. There is no stopping her from torturing me how she pleases." Adrien shifted his gaze away from her.

"What is it with you and Mandeleive?" Marinette searched his eyes some more before a knock sounded on their door.

"Pills." Ms. Mandeleive pushed a cart into their room.

Adrien and Marinette took the cups of pills and threw them back with water. Neither of them really knew what pills they were on. They appeared to be the same; which was never something they noticed until right then.

They each opened their mouths to show her that the pills were gone. Nurse Mandeleive nodded and stared at Adrien. "Snack will be in a few moments."

"Can I go too?" Marinette smiled at her and she gave her a blank expression.

"If you are not an eating disorder patient then you may not join him for snack." Mandeleive turned on her heel and headed out of their room.

"Was- was that just for me… or… everyone?" Marinette became confused as Adrien laid back on his bed with his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

"I wouldn't put it past her to make that a strictly the _Satan's_ girlfriend rule." Adrien sighed and put the nickname in quotation marks.

"Well now I need to hear this story." Marinette laid down beside him and he sighed.

"She thinks I'm the worst person here. She thinks I'm evil. Enough said. If she had her way… she would throw me into solitary until I rot." Adrien grabbed his pillow and threw it over his face.

Marinette grabbed it from him and threw it onto her bed. "You are not… evil and she can suck it. She's not a bowl of sunshine and rainbows either."

Adrien burst out laughing and nodded. He rolled onto his side and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as he lovingly stared into her oceanic eyes. "Just promise me that no matter what... you won't let Kagami get to you. I don't want to lose you."

"I promise." Marinette leaned closer to him and kissed him on the lips. "It's not worth our freedom."

000

Adrien sat at the table pushing around his snack with his spork. He sighed and leaned his cheek on his fist, pushing it around. His mind wandered to counting calories again as he poked each piece of fruit. His whole thought process was a series of numbers and equations. It was harder not to count with Marinette gone.

A cold hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and he shivered. "If you want to go back to your room… you better eat that."

Adrien lifted his spork with a trembling hand and put a piece of fruit into his mouth. He tried to chew without gagging as her fingers gripped onto his shoulder. He pushed counting to the back of his mind as he brought his spork down to another piece.

"You do know how lucky you are to share a room with a girl. I don't know what they see in you or why they think that will help someone as hopeless as you." Ms. Mandeleive quietly laughed as she watched him miss a piece of fruit at her words. "If I had my way?" She gripped his shoulder. "Eat."

Adrien quickly shoved the fruit into his mouth as she leaned closer so that only he could hear her.

"If I had my way? I'd keep you strapped to that bed in solitary for the rest of your life. You don't deserve to be out in society." Ms. Mandeleive gripped his shoulder harder before she let it go and stood behind him to watch him eat with her arms crossed over her chest.

Adrien ate faster just to be able to get out of there. He needed to get away from her. Needed to get back to Marinette. Plagg slowly manifested and swirled around his waist, sneering at him as it showed up in his face. "Hello, kid. You know she's right. Why should you get special privileges?"

Adrien clenched his eyes tight as he showed her his tray and got up to take it to be checked. She watched him set the tray on the pile to be cleaned and waited for her to take him back to his room. He noticed they were going a different way to his room and the sudden feeling of dread hit him hard.


	22. Chapter 22

**Note: Next update will be longer. Promise. ^_^**

Gabriel sat in front of the tablet that was held in Nathalie's hands. He had fixed his hair a million times and it never seemed right. Never seemed to be in the right place that he had wanted it in. He took a deep breath and messed with his striped cravat before he put on a face that showed reserve. Just as an Agreste should. An Agreste never showed they were weak. Never showed that they were on their knees. They stood proud and showed no fear. He waited for his interview with the press over his son. He had been asked several times about where Adrien was and why he had been M.I.A for so long from the modeling circuit. Nathalie had tried to keep them at bay, as had Gabriel, but it was getting to be too difficult to ignore. He had wanted to not bring up Adrien's difficult time. He didn't want to make it public that his son had an eating disorder, had tried to commit suicide, and was now sitting in a mental health facility.

It wouldn't look good beside the death of his wife. He knew it and he also knew that Adrien had a real struggle. He just didn't want to show him. Didn't want to bring up to Adrien how much it hurt him. He resorted to denial. Resorted to telling his son that it was all in his head. That he was being ridiculous.

Gabriel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as the first question hit like a bullet, burying its way into his heart. This was not the Agreste way.

"Thank you so much for allowing us to ask you a few questions about your son, Adrien Agreste." The reporter smiled as he sat in his office with a notebook on his lap.

"Did I really have a choice in the matter?" Gabriel kept his tone very cold and empty. He didn't want to express how he really felt. Express how worried he was over the whole ordeal.

"We really care about Adrien Agreste and hope that he is okay. So, I just want to start a little bit about how you are doing." The man's voice came out calm and gentle, but the question was a loaded one.

"Do you really think that- Look. I'm fine. I'm currently very busy with my packed schedule. My son is really none of your business." Gabriel crossed his leg over his thigh as he stared soulessly at the screen.

"You don't seem fine. We are just concerned about him, is all. What can you tell his fans to put them at ease? Anything?" The reporter tapped their pen on their notebook as they waited for an answer.

"I can tell you that he is in very capable hands and will be off walking the runway before you know it." Gabriel hung up on the interview and slammed his elbows on his desk, gripping his hair in his fists.

Nathalie set the tablet down and walked over to him. She ran her hands along his shoulders. "I know you care about Adrien more than you let on."

"HE IS MY SON, NATHALIE! Of course I care about him, but I am also so disappointed in him." Gabriel took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I want the best for him. All I've ever done is give him the best. I have bought him wonderous things. I have given him amazing opportunities that people only dream of. I have paid him well with an allowance!"

"Have you ever thought that Adrien didn't want those things? That the only thing he ever truly wanted… was a father that cared?" Nathalie rubbed his shoulders and felt him tremble beneath her palms.

"This- this is not the Agreste way." Gabriel's voice came out broken as he slowly peered up between his fists.

"Adrien has never done things the Agreste way. He has always done things the neé Graham de Vanily way, Sir." Nathalie warmly smiled as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed as she gently spoke to him. "He has a lot of Emilee in him. That's why he upsets you. Because you see her in him and it makes you upset."

Gabriel swallowed hard and nodded without saying a word.

"I know it's hard to stare into his familiar emerald hued eyes and smile. Hard to hug him. Hard to do anything with him because he reminds you so much of her, but she would want you to have compassion. To understand that he is hurting too. And us giving him diet pills and us measuring his body and expecting him to be this doll, _mannequin_, for a line of clothing? It's not fair." Nathalie cringed as she waited for him to get angry at her.

"I know." Gabriel swallowed hard and she let her hands slide from his body.

"You need to accept that he needs help. That this is good for him. Accept that your son did try to commit suicide. But know that he is getting help. He is not just an Agreste, Sir. But he is also a neé Graham de Vanily." Nathalie smiled and watched him softly smile.

"She was an amazing woman, wasn't she?" Gabriel peered up at his painting of Emilee.

"She really was, Sir." Nathalie smiled warmly as she stared at the painting with him.

**Song I wrote to: (Thank you lalunaoscura for the song suggestions!) **

**The War by SYML**


	23. Chapter 23

**Note: Sorry, I haven't updated in ages. I've been taking a break due to losing my job from COVID. I am focusing on one story at the moment and publishing novels. The story that I'm focusing on is over on AO3. I'm hardly on here anymore. But anyways... I was being asked to update this story and I had half of this written months ago, so I finally sat down to write the rest. Sorry it took so long. It'll get better! Promise! I hope you are all healthy, happy, and safe! :) Thank you for reading and commenting! :)**

His heart pounded as he looked around him. His wrists were restrained to the metal chair that he sat on and a metal table sat between him and Nurse Mandeleive. He swallowed the ball that was in his throat and peered around himself frantically at the stark white room. It wasn't all that bright inside and it scared him even more.

The loud sound of his chart hitting the table made him jump and he swallowed hard. His eyes were like a frantic deer, and he suddenly realized that no one was going to save him from this. He made frantic sounds, as he pulled at the medical grade restraints.

"You're not getting out of this. I have so many questions for you." Nurse Mandeleive slowly opened his chart with a stoic expression. "I need to know why you think that you are getting better? None of this makes sense to me. You come in here a complete train wreck and now you decide to be good? And to get special privileges… Well. Aren't you the lucky one?"

Adrien punched the arms of the chair with the heels of his palms as he became desperate. "Just let- me- _GO_!"

"Not until we have our little chat." Mandeleive pulled out photos from when the police had found him. "How can one person go from this wreck to what is sitting in front of me, hm?"

"People do get better. You know that right?" Adrien glared at her and bit down on his bottom lip as he rattled his restraints.

"Not people like you." Mandeleive stared at him with her arms on the table.

"What makes me any different than the rest?" Adrien glared at her as she put the photo away.

"I don't think you're telling the truth. I think you're a liar." Mandeleive walked around the table to him and undid his restraints. "And I think we're going to find that out today."

"Are you shitting me?" Adrien watched her undo his restraints from the chair. Suddenly two men walked into the room and grabbed his biceps, leading him to the bed that was in the room. "Come _on_. What the fuck did I ever do to you?"

"Oh, you did plenty to me when you first arrived." Nurse Mandeleive watched the men shove him onto the bed. They strapped him down with belts to the bed and hooked his wrist restraints to the sides of the bed. "Now, we're going to have a bit of fun." She wheeled over a medical table with a very old wooden machine on it. "Do you know what this is?"

Adrien peered up at the wooden box as she opened it. Two wands with pads on the ends were connected to the box by two wires. "Oh fuck."

"Now, you answer how I like… and I think it's the truth? You're safe. I think you're a liar? Well, you'll have some fun." Mandeleive smiled and it terrified him. She didn't look good with a smile.

"Shit." Adrien licked his lips and swallowed hard as he tried to fight against the restraints.

The two men stood by the bed and held his arms down, as Nurse Mandeleive ran a strap across Adrien's forehead to keep his head from moving. "Now, open your mouth."

Adrien pressed his lips tightly together and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his chin and prying his mouth open to shove a rubber instrument into his mouth.

"I don't want you biting your tongue." She lightly smacked his cheek afterwards, and he growled in anger at her.

"Fu- ew!" He tried to speak past it, but he could barely talk and all it made him do was want to gag as it pressed down his tongue.

"Are you just pretending to get better so that you can leave with your girl?" Mandeleive swiped conductive gel on his temples.

Adrien shook his head and she turned on the machine to get ready for her verdict.

"Are you sure? Some part of me thinks that you are." Mandeleive held the wands close to his temples, ready to administer the ECT.

Adrien shook it head more. "No."

"I think you want to make it seem like you are innocent and a changed man now when you're not." Mandeleive smirked at him. "I found this machine hiding in the back of a storage room and I'm not sure if it still works. Why don't we find out together? Hm, pretty boy?"

Adrien shook his head and pulled at his restraints, as she pressed the wands against his temples for a couple minutes. His head flung back and he screamed out in agony as his whole body stiffened up and spasmed. She took the wands off and watched as the corners of his eyes crinkled and his knuckles turned white. His nails bit into his skin, dripping crimson drops onto the thin white sheets. His whole body convulsed as the seizure ran through him and he twitched with his heartbeat. Everything in him felt like it was on fire and he couldn't think straight. Tears escaped from the corners of his eyes and he blacked out before she did it one more time, watching him convulse again. She wanted answers no matter what it took. Wanted revenge for him ruining her happy expectations of being a nurse at a mental facility.

000

Marinette laid in her bed and it felt like hours. It was night and she still hadn't seen Adrien. He hadn't come back after snack and something about that worried her. She sighed and peered over at the empty bed beside her when the door was kicked open. She suddenly sat up to watch two attendants put a very tired Adrien into his bed. Her heart beat faster and she began to panic, taking in his rough state.

"What happened?" Marinette tried to ask the attendants, but they didn't answer her. She was beyond angry, but she knew that if she lost control then she wouldn't be able to help him.

The men left and Marinette ran over to Adrien's bed. She sat beside his bed and cradled his face in her hands. "Hey? What happened?"

"I- I don't remember." Adrien sighed as the room spun and he immediately touched her shoulder to signal for her to move.

"What- what is it?" Marinette ran her hand through his damp hair as he gagged. She moved out of the way to grab the small trash can in the room for him, setting it in front of him on the floor right as he emptied his stomach.

"Sorry." Adrien clung to the edge of his bed and sobbed. "I don't remember anything. I- can't think. So nauseous. My head hurts, jaw hurts, everything hurts."

"Adrien…" Marinette climbed onto his bed and laid behind him to run her fingers through his hair.

"The room is spinning and I- who are you? Where am I? What is this place?" Adrien became scared and shivered, causing Marinette to cover him with the sheet as he trembled.

"Shh… it's okay." Marinette wrapped herself around him as he got into a fetal position beside her.

"I- I don't know what happened. Why do I feel this way?" Adrien sobbed against her chest. "Why do I feel so much better beside you? I don't know you."

"What did she do to you?" Marinette sobbed as she clung to him, feeling like she needed to protect him from everything.

Adrien peered up at her with tears in his eyes. "Who are you?"

"You're Adrien. I'm Marinette. You're my boyfriend. And we're in a mental health facility." Marinette swallowed hard as she brought him closer to her chest again. "And I won't let whatever happened to you, happen again."

"Help me." Adrien whined against her and pulled away to roll over and be sick again.

Marinette rubbed her hand along his back and he trembled and sobbed in pain. She didn't know how to help him. She didn't know how to make this all stop.

"How long have I been here?" Adrien weakly asked Marinette as he held the edge of his bed.

"Um… I think a year or so. I really don't know." Marinette bit her bottom lip as she watched him roll over and groan.

He clenched his eyes tightly shut and hissed in pain as he wrapped his arms around himself. "Why are you here?"

"I- I'm your roommate. They moved us in here together because we were doing better together." Marinette ran her fingers through his hair. "We make each other better. And I am so sorry that I couldn't save you."

"What happened to me?" Adrien sobbed into her chest as he suddenly clung to her.

"I don't know. I wasn't with you." Marinette ran her fingers along his temples, feeling some sort of gel on her fingertips. She thought about it for a moment and tried to think of why he would have that on his skin. She grabbed his face and looked into his tired eyes. "You're exhausted."

"It hurts. Why do I hurt?" Adrien sobbed harder and Marinette pulled him closer, running her fingers down his back to massage his back.

"You're so tense." Marinette rubbed circles into his muscles, trying to loosen them.

"Help me, please." Adrien clutched to her shirt as he trembled. "Make the pain stop."

"I can't. I don't know how." Marinette began to sob as she cuddled him.

"I'm so confused and lost. I'm scared." Adrien cried hysterically and Marinette tried to shush him so that no one would come in and sedate him. He didn't need that right now. He needed pain medicine, anti-nausea pills, and rest.

"I know what you need, but I can't get it." Marinette sniffed and ran her thumb along his scalp as she clung to him. "I don't know how to get my hands on it." She tried to think of how she could get to the medicine.

Adrien trembled in her arms as Marinette held him and started to hum. His sobs became hiccups as he tried to focus on Marinette's hums. She ran her fingers along his spine and tried to workout the knots that had accumulated. A knock sounded on the door and Marinette grabbed the sheet to throw over a whimpering Adrien.

Alya pushed the door open and peeked in to see Marinette. "Hey. Mari?"

"Alya." Marinette clung to the figure beneath the sheet and Alya slipped in and shut the door behind herself. "What happened? Do you know?"

"I stole these for you." Alya walked over and sat down on Marinette's bed.

"Stole what?" Marinette peered over Adrien and watched Alya hold out two bottles of pills.

"They did that to a few patients not long ago. I've seen it before. If it is what I think it is." Alya walked closer and Marinette moved the sheet from Adrien's face and shoulders. "Adrien? Do you remember anything?"

Adrien shook his head and cuddled closer to Marinette, unsure of who was talking to him.

"I'm Alya, Nino's girlfriend. Do you remember Nino?" She crouched down beside the bed and kept her voice calm.

"Alya, he remembers next to nothing. He's confused, nauseous, hurting, and his muscles are so tense that it's hard for me to loosen them." Marinette felt like crying all over again, as Adrien rubbed his face into her chest. "And he needs something to stop it and I can't get my hands on it."

"Which is what I brought you." Alya passed her two bottles. "Painkillers and anti-nausea pills. They're supposed to use general anesthetic and then prescribe medication to help after ECT, but… Dr. Fu has never agreed with ECT. However, I've seen patients dragged off by Nurse Mendeleive before. They usually come back in that state. They are typical side effects, but usually they get something to ease them. Knowing her, she probably used the old machine I heard about from someone. And because she doesn't love Adrien..."

"No." Marinette shook her head and clutched to Adrien tighter. "She wouldn't do that."

"She would. She's a royal bitch and he wasn't nice to her when he first showed up from what I heard. So, she has some sick grudge with him." Alya sighed and pointed towards the pills. "Give him those. His memory will come back, but it might take a while."

Marinette watched her friend slip back out of their room and she opened the anti-nausea meds first. She put a pill into her hand and ran her thumb along Adrien's bottom lip. "Here, you have to take these. Just like the pills from Nathalie. Come on."

Adrien fought her and panicked for a moment, pushing Marinette away from himself.

"Open your eyes. Look at me. It's me." Marinette coaxed him to peer into her eyes.

Adrien slowly opened his eyes and peered at hers. "Mari-nette."

"Yes. I'm trying to help you feel better. Okay? I'm not going to hurt you." Marinette watched him part his lips for her and she placed the pill into his mouth, watching him close his mouth to swallow it. "Good. Now the next one."

Marinette opened the next bottle and placed the painkiller on his tongue. Adrien closed his mouth and swallowed it as his chest rose and fell in a panic. Marinette let go of his chin and wrapped her arms around him again.

"I don't want to leave this room." Adrien mumbled into her chest.

"I know you don't and I don't blame you. But ya know what? We're gonna get out of here soon. Okay? We're gonna be free soon." Marinette tried to stay positive as she held him close, feeling his breathing settle as he fell asleep in her arms. She took one of his hands into hers and looked at his palm, seeing the scabbed crescent shapes along his soft skin. More tears fell from her eyes as she brought his palm to her lips, placing kisses to each cut. "Poor thing. I'm so so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tighter.


End file.
